Skip to content

THE FOLDING CHAIR

-the history of women who weren't given a seat at the table-
  • Home
  • About
  • Facebook Page
  • Instagram Page
  • Pinterest Page
  • Twitter Page
  • Search
Frequent Fascinations by Elena BurnettMay 7, 20193:30 amMay 8, 2019
Read More

Ally Carter, Mira Jacob, and my coincidence-filled history with writing

This isn’t a post that has too much to do with women in history, but it does have to do with my own personal history with writing and two women who unexpectedly shaped it. And […]

Frequent Fascinations by Elena BurnettMay 3, 20193:02 pm
Read More

I dare you to not get fired up after watching ‘Knock Down the House’

Last fall, I decided that the student newspaper I was leading should reach out to our district’s Congressional candidates for interviews. It would serve as a reminder to students of the significant election coming up […]

Frequent Fascinations by Elena BurnettApr 30, 201911:00 amApril 29, 2019
Read More

Frequent Fascinations: April 2019

While I’ve been catching up from my time away, a lot of my posts have become long-form dedications to those things and ideas that have inspired me since my last routine round of posting. I […]

Frequent Fascinations by Elena BurnettApr 24, 20193:53 pmMay 21, 2019
Read More

I may be a tad obsessed with Obama White House memoirs

So if you’ve been keeping up with the blog, you know that the biggest news in my life recently is my graduation from college. It’s a big, exciting milestone that gave me the celebratory freedom […]

Frequent Fascinations by Elena BurnettMar 15, 20191:59 pm
Read More

It’s been a hot minute but it’s RBG’s birthday and I finished college so let’s celebrate

Hello… The last time I posted, it was my 21st birthday and I’m sure many of you thought that night probably killed me so let’s catch up for just a sec… First of all, I […]

Uncategorized by Elena BurnettSep 10, 20181:18 pm
Read More

Here are my Top Drunk History Segments to celebrate my 21st Birthday

Well, the time has come. I’m turning 21 today, and I couldn’t think of anything more on-brand to celebrate the big day than to combine alcohol with history and count you guys down to my […]

In My Opinion... by Elena BurnettSep 5, 201810:30 amSeptember 4, 2018
Read More

REVIEW: “Elizabeth Warren: Her Fight. Her Work. Her Life.” by Antonia Felix

It’s hard to know whether or not the fact Antonia Felix’s “Elizabeth Warren: Her Fight. Her Work. Her Life,” reads like a young adult version of a more complex and mature text is a good […]

Frequent Fascinations by Elena BurnettAug 31, 20181:17 pmAugust 31, 2018
Read More

Frequent Fascinations: August 2018

Wow. It’s not only the end of another month, but it’s also practically the end of summer! I’ve even seen that Pumpkin Spice is starting to make its annual invasion. The rest of my summer […]

In My Opinion... by Elena BurnettAug 28, 201812:58 pm
Read More

REVIEW: “Playing to the Gods” by Peter Rader

It doesn’t come as a surprise that Peter Rader’s “Playing to the Gods: Sarah Bernhardt, Eleonora Duse, and the Rivalry That Changed Acting Forever” began as a screenplay. The simultaneously opulent and tragic world of […]

Science by Elena BurnettAug 24, 20183:05 pm
Read More

Brazilian biologist Bertha Lutz was one of the only four women to sign the UN charter

For a while, like most people, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I’ve always loved to write but I also always loved history. When I chose to go to […]

Crime by Elena BurnettAug 21, 20182:39 pmAugust 21, 2018
Read More

Her name’s Warne, Kate Warne, and she was America’s first private eye

Everyone loves a good spy story. The highest-grossing movies and T.V. shows seem to be filled with dangerous missions and clever aliases. All I’ve been hearing the past several weeks is how good the new […]

In My Opinion... by Elena BurnettAug 19, 201812:55 pm
Read More

REVIEW: “A Girl’s Guide to Missiles” by Karen Piper

At its core, Karen Piper’s memoir “A Girl’s Guide to Missiles: Growing up in America’s Secret Desert” is about war. However, it’s not just about military warfare and the weapons used to wage it, developed […]

Art by Elena BurnettAug 17, 20182:13 pmAugust 19, 2018
Read More

Judith Leyster’s radical artistic afterlife and the lasting importance of art

I had the opportunity a year ago to attend the Southeast premiere of “Loving Vincent,” the movie about Vincent van Gogh’s death animated entirely in painted frames inspired by his classic style. What struck me […]

Inventors by Elena BurnettAug 14, 201810:44 amAugust 14, 2018
Read More

How Mary Kenner and her inventions took on two social taboos: black women in business and periods

Every time I sit down to write my Frequent Fascinations at the end of each month, I always start off by saying “Well, it’s that time of the month.” Then I realize that that could […]

In My Opinion... by Elena BurnettAug 13, 201811:38 amAugust 18, 2018
Read More

REVIEW: “Fly Girls” by Keith O’Brien

“Two capital T’s stand in the way of [women’s] progress,” Amelia Earhart said once to a group of young ladies. “One is Training—or lack of it. The other, Tradition.” In “Fly Girls: How Five Daring […]

Writers by Elena BurnettAug 10, 201810:30 amAugust 10, 2018
Read More

Virginia Irwin, the WWII correspondent who broke news, broke rules and broke barriers

When I was in fifth grade, we had a career unit in our social studies class called “J.A. Biztown.” We learned about interview techniques, job applications, financial literacy and business skills and the whole course […]

Fashion by Elena BurnettAug 7, 20189:21 am
Read More

Rose Bertin, the first fashion designer who really knew how to network

One of the biggest majors at my art school is fashion and the kids studying it intimidate the hell out of me. In fact, when I first found out that my first two roommates were […]

In My Opinion... by Elena BurnettAug 5, 20184:51 pm
Read More

REVIEW: “JELL-O Girls” by Allie Rowbottom

Perhaps the most resonant line in Allie Rowbottom’s “JELL-O Girls” is the following: “We are all connected, we women, we JELL-O girls, bound by a web of common experience.” It could be true that all […]

Medicine by Elena BurnettAug 3, 20188:30 amAugust 2, 2018
Read More

Fe del Mundo, a pediatrician of many firsts, including the first woman admitted to Harvard

As a child, I had this particular knack at getting what seemed like annual cases of both pink eye and strep throat and so I spent many a time at the doctor’s office. I would […]

Frequent Fascinations by Elena BurnettJul 31, 20181:38 pmJuly 31, 2018
Read More

Frequent Fascinations: July 2018

Is it just me or did it seem like July lasted WAY longer than most months seem to? Most of the time when I sit down to write my Frequent Fascinations for the month, it […]

Uncategorized by Elena BurnettJul 28, 20185:27 pm
Read More

Unburying the story of first female U.S. solider Margaret Cochran Corbin from legend

I can’t begin to tell you how frustrating it is to find a truly wonderful story for this site, dig into the research a little more and then find out that most of it is […]

Sports by Elena BurnettJul 24, 20181:07 pm
Read More

Annette Kellerman saved women from drowning by inventing the one-piece

I love nearly everything about summer except for my allergies. As someone who was told to “build a bubble because, honey, you are allergic to the world” by the PA at the allergist’s office, the […]

More than a... by Elena BurnettJul 19, 201811:48 amJuly 19, 2018
Read More

If you can’t say something good about someone, sit right here next to Alice Roosevelt

This past Saturday marked the one hundred year anniversary of Quentin Roosevelt’s death in aerial combat over France. Now, this struck me for two reasons. The first is that Quentin was born nearly one hundred […]

Writers by Elena BurnettJul 13, 201811:29 amJuly 13, 2018
Read More

Christine de Pizan, the first person to write while female (as told by my ninth-grade self)

I promised months ago in my post on Caterina Sforza that I would talk about Christine de Pizan, the medieval figure I chose to be for Medieval Day in the ninth grade. In looking back at […]

Frequent Fascinations by Elena BurnettJul 11, 201812:04 pm
Read More

Frequent Fascinations: May and June 2018

So I realize it isn’t the end of the month but I’ve been gone for two months during which I’ve found a lot of new obsessions too delightful not to share. If you don’t know […]

Science by Elena BurnettJul 10, 201812:41 pm
Read More

Wang Zhenyi: the creative genius who made science rule

From an early age, it was clear that science just wasn’t my thing. I really tried but my style of thinking couldn’t break down huge concepts to smaller levels. I loved watching “Bill Nye the […]

Uncategorized by Elena BurnettJul 9, 201812:02 pm
Read More

Let’s Catch Up, Shall We?

Yes, she lives and she is profoundly sorry for her two-month absence. But, she is back and for some reason talking in the third person. First things first, thank you so much for your patience […]

Writers by Elena BurnettMay 5, 20187:10 pmMay 5, 2018
Read More

Half a century before she could even vote, Victoria Woodhull ran for U.S. President

Recently, I’ve started to feel older. Not old, necessarily, just older and more aware of the history I’ve seen in my life. I’ve started to realize that I’ve lived through events that people will ask […]

Entrepreneurs by Elena BurnettMay 1, 20185:07 pmMay 1, 2018
Read More

Margaret Getchell: the first female business exec who revolutionized retail

Because this blog site has yet to live through Christmas, you have yet to experience the pure euphoria the holiday season brings me. Every year, around this time, I start to go through withdrawal and […]

Frequent Fascinations by Elena BurnettApr 30, 201810:30 amMay 1, 2018
Read More

Frequent Fascinations: April 2018

Well, yet another month has whizzed on by…I can’t believe tomorrow is May. It seems like I barely had time to be obsessed by anything other than sleep. Nonetheless, I have five wonderful picks that […]

Posts navigation

Previous1 2 Next
Blog at WordPress.com.

Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×