In 1952, Charlotte McLeod left her home in rural Tennessee to receive gender affirming surgery in Denmark. At the time, only one other American - a woman named Christine Jorgensen - had publicly undergone the procedure.

But while Christine's surgery had been simple and her homecoming celebrated by the public, Charlotte's experience was far more harrowing. From back-alley surgeons to ruthless media coverage, a lifetime of obstacles awaited the nation's second trans celebrity.

Listen today and hear how this pioneer of trans representation overcame it all to find the quiet family life she always wanted.

Sources and visuals at lostthreads.org

Russia's Mars 96 was one of the most advanced spacecraft of the 20th Century. Designed to be the first vessel to explore the Red Planet, its mission was to drill up to 20 feet below the surface in search for life. But beyond the (literally) groundbreaking science, Mars 96 had another purpose: Rescue the country's dying space program and prove to the West that the post-Soviet Russia was worth investing in. With the last of the struggling nation's resources pooled into this one mission, there's only one chance to make this work. Will it succeed?

If this is your first time hearing about Mars 96, you might be able to guess the answer. Join us for this week's episode to find out how it all went wrong and what this mission's failure meant for the future of Russian's space program.

For sources and visual elements from today's episode, visit our website at lostthreads.org.

During America's Gilded Age, a wealthy man named John Wanamaker finds his way into the presidential cabinet - and sees an opportunity to grow his business.

For sources and visual elements from today's episode, visit our website at lostthreads.org.