TDS Time Machine | Shafted - Tales of Unsung Women
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A Forbes study mentioned that a whopping 93% of small businesses overpay their taxes. And 17% of Gen Zers believed that you could write off any expense as a business expense. So it's really important to do your taxes right. Listen to Grown Up Stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

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Easily pool, split, and send money with PayPal. Get started in the PayPal app. A PayPal account is required to send and receive money. A balance account is required to create a pool. You're listening to Comedy Central. Welcome back to The Daily Show. March is officially Women's History Month, when we honor women by remembering their accomplishments and misattributing quotes to them on Instagram.

Some of the most fascinating stories in women's history aren't that well-known. So this month, Desi Lydic and Dulcé Sloan are taking a look at the lives of real women who left their mark in our new Daily Show segment, Shafted. Good evening. I'm Dulcé Sloan. And I'm Desi Lydic. Tonight's episode is a familiar story. Big dreams crushed by the reality of reality. The victim, Marion Donovan. The crime...

Being a woman. In 1946, Marion was a housewife in the small town of Westport, Connecticut. Being home and raising children, Marion got fed up with all the shit in her life. Why is there so much shit everywhere? At the time, people were using cloth diapers, and the only solution for leaks were uncomfortable rubber pants that gave babies diaper rash.

So no one wanted to wear rubbers, even though they were the most effective method. Babies were like, "Do I have to? It feels so much better pooping against bare skin." But one day, Marian looked at her shower curtain and got an idea. "I've got an idea. This can keep water from leaking out. Surely it could do the same for shit." So she got to work designing a new, better diaper cover, which she called the Boater.

I did it. I'm gonna liberate women from needless domestic work. Right after I buy a new shower curtain and clean up this mess before my husband leaves me. It was a hit. The diaper covers were flying off the shelves faster than black market birth control pills. And then came Marian's best idea yet. A fully disposable diaper with super absorbent material.

Marion pitched her idea for fully disposable diapers to every large manufacturer in the country, but she soon found herself knee deep in something much worse than baby poop, sexism. What do you think? - It's unnecessary. - There's no market for this, you dumb lady. - My wife loves washing diapers. - Faced with rejection, Marion went on inventing various doohickeys and what you call it. But a decade later, she had the shock of her life.

When Pampers launched a line of fully disposable diapers. Mother-- That's right. A man had been rewarded for coming up with the same thing she was rejected for. And when you're done, you just throw it away. This is genius. Why has no one thought of this before? Good job, male inventor. You're welcome, male executive. Ah, men. Men are great. Marian was desperate and at the end of her rope, so she did the unthinkable.

- Actually, that part didn't really happen. - Yeah, but it should have. - Disposable diapers are now a $6 billion industry. Marian should have been the Beyonce of baby care, but fate made her the Farrah Franklin. - The who? - Exactly. - Exactly. But while she may have been overlooked in her own time, Marian's contributions live on in homes, in daycares, in Target bathrooms where the diaper changing station is always broken and the baby's screaming and you're like, "What do you want from me?"

Marion was shafted. But not defeated. That's all for this week. Tune in next time for the story of another woman so powerful, so determined, her vagina almost didn't get in the way. Almost. Good evening. I'm Dulcé Sloan. And I'm Desi Lydic. Tonight, the story of Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, a trailblazer whose trail was left brutally unblazed. It's the story of a forgotten woman never given her due.

Why didn't you just say that the first time? I don't know. Growing up near Montgomery, Alabama, Willie Mae always had a passion for singing. I'll just sing, I'll just sing.

At the young age of 15, she won a singing contest and eventually signed a record deal. But one day, her life changed forever when she was approached by some writers with a little song you may know called Hound Dog. I need for it to be raunchier, you know, like something that if you could shimmy your breasts maybe one or the other, preferably both at the same time. But she had her own style in mind. Or

What if I did it this way? Just... It's so beautiful. Thank you, white man. Willie Mays' soulful rendition of Hound Dog told the story of a good-for-nothing man who wants to be taken care of. It was like the great grandmother of no scrubs. See, a scrub is a guy who thinks he's fly. If I know, I think everyone knows.

In 1953, Big Mama Thornton's Hound Dog reached number one on the R&B chart, but it never crossed over to the pop chart because it was seen as a race record, which is a not-so-not racist way of saying black music. Willie May was shafted, but what she didn't know was that there was an even bigger shaft headed her way. And not the good kind.

Even though mainstream society wasn't quite ready to embrace this sound in this package. A few years later, her precious, soulful hound dog found a new owner, a rising talent who was introduced to the song by a Vegas lounge act and decided to put his own spin on it. Cryin' all the time. What a cool song about dogs, huh? By the way, that really happened. Look at that dog. He's like, man, why'd you bring me into this shit?

Elvis' version of Hound Dog was a huge smash and completely eclipsed Willie May's version. While Elvis didn't steal the song, he did benefit from a system that ensured his music reached a wider audience. You see, Elvis was a white man. Elvis went on to become one of the greatest icons of all time. But despite it all, Willie May never lost her gift for expressing emotion in song. ♪ This is some bullshit ♪ ♪ Some real, real bullshit ♪

Y'all want him to sing that to a dog too? All jumpsuit wearing, hip swiveling mother . - Willie Mae Thornton was a talented artist who launched an iconic song only to have her legacy washed away. But we remember her and you can't wash this away. Go ahead Dulce, show 'em yours. - I told you I wasn't doing that. You know, she had too many names.

That's all for this week. Tune in next time to hear about a woman so talented, so promising, her vagina almost didn't get in the way. Almost. Ready to optimize your nutrition this year? Meat Factor, America's number one ready-to-eat meal service. Factor's fresh, never-frozen meals are dietitian-approved and ready-to-eat in just two minutes. Their chefs handle the shopping and the chopping, delivering fresh, fully-cooked meals to your door. All you have to do is heat

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Factor Meals 5-0 off and use code Factor Meals 5-0 off to get 50% off plus free shipping on your first box. Weight loss with Factor Keto based on a randomized controlled clinical trial. Results will vary depending on diet and exercise. It's tax season, and by now I know we're all a bit tired of numbers, but here's an important one you need to hear. $16.5 billion. That's how much money in refunds the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud last year.

Here's another, 20%. That's the overall increase in identity theft related to tax fraud in 2024 alone. But it's not all grim news. Here's a good number, 100 million. That's how many data points LifeLock monitors every second. If your identity is stolen, LifeLock's US-based restoration specialists will fix it, backed by another good number, the Million Dollar Protection Plan. In fact, restoration is guaranteed or your money back.

Don't face identity theft and financial losses alone. There's strength in numbers with LifeLock Identity Theft Protection for tax season and beyond. Join now and save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code IHEART or go to lifelock.com slash IHEART for 40% off. Terms apply.

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This month we've been uncovering the true stories of women who were shafted. Because throughout history, women have been constrained by things like gender roles, cultural biases, and spanks. So, constricting. Mm-hmm. But tonight we tell a different story. Sarah Howe was a 19th century entrepreneur who did reach her full potential through ingenuity and perseverance. Warning, the following content might inspire you. Ooh.

Born in the early 1800s, Sarah grew up hustling as a fortune teller and horoscope reader. What is it? What is it? You're going to give me five dollars and then something good will happen to you. Oh, okay, okay, okay, here you go. She even worked as a doctor despite having no medical training. And what we want to do is we want to pour the tonic right over the abdomen.

That looks like milk. Yes, no, of course it's milk. It'll make his stomach bones stronger. Stomach bones? She was shadier than R. Kelly running a Girl Scout troop. But in 1879, Sarah left all that petty swindling behind and turned to her true calling, stacking the cheddar. She started the Ladies' Deposit, a woman-only investment fund.

When Sarah doubled her clients investments within a year, women started handing over their money like they were at a Ryan Gosling kissing booth. This sounds great. Here's all my money. You do know what they say, cash rules everything around us. Doesn't it? It does, doesn't it? Okay, give it up. Amazing part was, it was all bullshit.

Sarah was running one of the first and most successful investment fraud schemes in history. She was basically Bernie Madoff in a bustle.

Sarah made over half a million dollars, which would equal around 11 million today. And she preyed on over 1,200 women, which today still equals a lot of bitches. Madam, I'm sorry to tell you, but Sarah Howe has stolen all of your money. My money was stolen by a woman? I'm so proud! But eventually, the ladies' deposit was exposed, and the police deposited Sarah into jail.

spent three years in jail for her crimes. But the true prison was her gender. Because half a century later, her legacy was stolen by a man named Charles Ponzi. Who became the namesake of the very scheme Sarah perfected. The Ponzi scheme. And she was dead by then. Looking down from heaven, watching Ponzi get all the glory. Well, she was probably looking up from hell, but it was still messed up. Motherfucker.

But tonight we salute Sarah how who shattered the glass ceiling of financial crime thanks to her women everywhere can aspire to lie cheat and steal just like men. That's all for shafted to the next time to hear about a woman so brilliant so unrelenting her vagina almost didn't get in the way almost.

Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching The Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch The Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount+. Paramount Podcasts.

PayPal lets you pay all your pals, like your graduation gifters. Who's paying for the mattress topper? You mean the beanbag chair? Aren't we getting a mini fridge? Can we create a pool on PayPal? It lets us collect the money before we buy. Ooh, yes, that's smart. Glad we can agree on something.

It's tax season, and by now, I know we're all a bit tired of numbers. But here's an important one you need to hear. $16.5 billion. That's how much money in refunds the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud last year.

Here's another: 20%. That's the overall increase in identity theft related to tax fraud in 2024 alone. But it's not all grim news. Here's a good number: 100 million. That's how many data points LifeLock monitors every second. If your identity is stolen, LifeLock's US-based restoration specialists will fix it, backed by another good number: the Million Dollar Protection Plan. In fact, restoration is guaranteed or your money back.

Don't face identity theft and financial losses alone. There's strength in numbers with LifeLock Identity Theft Protection for tax season and beyond. Join now and save up to 40% your first year. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code IHEART or go to lifelock.com slash IHEART for 40% off. Terms apply.

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