#46 A Woman Who Knew Exactly Where She Was & A Notorious Eunuch (Gladys West & Wei Zhongxian) Artwork

Mostly Unsung: A Comedy History Podcast

The weekly comedy history podcast that brings you bitesize biographies of the extraordinary, eccentric, outrageous and occasionally ordinary lives that until now have gone mostly unsung... mostly. Join your hosts Annie and Andrea as they bring you stories that your history teacher never taught you!

If you like stuffy lectures then you're not going to be a fan, sorry! But if you are looking to hang out with two old friends who love story telling, a good laugh and forgotten figures from history then welcome!

Covering everything from scientists to Grandmothers, survivors of wars to eccentric millionaires, all via ghost stories, anecdotes and terrible impressions of Hollywood legend Tim Curry. Come and hang out, have a giggle and join us every Friday.

All Episodes

Mostly Unsung: A Comedy History Podcast

#46 A Woman Who Knew Exactly Where She Was & A Notorious Eunuch (Gladys West & Wei Zhongxian)

March 04, 2026 • Mostly Unsung • Season 1 • Episode 46

0:00 | 39:09

Welcome back to Mostly Unsung, the comedy history podcast that every week brings you two bite-size biographies of obscure historical figures, the forgotten heroes, the overlooked geniuses, and the truly lost villains.

This week, Annie tells the extraordinary story of Gladys West, the mathematician whose groundbreaking work laid the foundation for modern GPS. A gifted Black mathematician working during the era of segregation, West faced systemic racism, constant scrutiny, and repeated barriers to promotion. Yet her complex mathematical modeling of the Earth’s shape made satellite navigation possible, meaning your Google Maps and sat nav directions all trace back to her calculations. If you’ve ever found the nearest coffee shop using GPS, you’ve benefited from her brilliance.

Then Andrea takes us inside the intrigue of the Forbidden City during the Ming Dynasty. Enter Wei Zhongxian, one of the most notorious and powerful figures in imperial Chinese history. Rising from obscurity to dominate court politics, Wei’s story is packed with corruption, manipulation, spies, power-grabbing… and yes, a rather extreme DIY career move required to gain entry into the palace system. It’s a tale of ambition, influence, and spectacular downfall.

If you love hidden history, unsung heroes, political scandal, powerful women and men history tried to forget, and comedy podcasts with a dash of education this episode is for you.

Subscribe to Mostly Unsung for weekly light-hearted deep dives into obscure history, forgotten figures, and the strange corners of the past you won’t hear about in school.

In this episode Andrea used these sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wei_Zhongxian

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tianqi_Emperor

http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Ming/personsweizhongxian.html

https://www.usrf.org/news/010308-hiddenpower.html

In this episode Annie used these sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gladys-West

https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/pioneers-and-innovators/gladys-west-a-global-legacy-built-on-precision/

Where you can find us:

https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/

https://www.facebook.com/share/16J4vuMy1h/

https://www.tiktok.com/@mostlyunsung