Dale DeBakcsy
@daledebakcsy.bsky.social
Founder of the Women in Science Archive, author of #WomenInSTEM books for Pen & Sword Publishing, and of upcoming Elton John: Album by Album, and A History of Romance Novels. Artist for Frederick the Great: A Most Lamentable Comedy.
Tomorrow is Launch Day UK for my new book, A History of Women in Music, with tales stretching from the ancient past to the tumultuous present! For our last countdown figure I've chosen Nina Hagen, whose blend of rock, punk, opera, goth, and kitsch was a true highlight of the MTV years.
#BookSky 🎹
#BookSky 🎹
January 29, 2026 at 3:12 PM
Tomorrow is Launch Day UK for my new book, A History of Women in Music, with tales stretching from the ancient past to the tumultuous present! For our last countdown figure I've chosen Nina Hagen, whose blend of rock, punk, opera, goth, and kitsch was a true highlight of the MTV years.
#BookSky 🎹
#BookSky 🎹
Wishing a happy 79th birthday to Nobel Laureate Linda Buck, whose publications in the early 1990s unveiled the genes that code for our myriad olfactory receptors, and the process by which the proteins they make contribute to our sense of smell.
#WomenInSTEM #BioSky #NeuroSky 🧪🧠👃
#WomenInSTEM #BioSky #NeuroSky 🧪🧠👃
January 29, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Wishing a happy 79th birthday to Nobel Laureate Linda Buck, whose publications in the early 1990s unveiled the genes that code for our myriad olfactory receptors, and the process by which the proteins they make contribute to our sense of smell.
#WomenInSTEM #BioSky #NeuroSky 🧪🧠👃
#WomenInSTEM #BioSky #NeuroSky 🧪🧠👃
Continuing our Countdown to Launch Day UK, today's figure is Jenny Lind, one of a group of sopranos from the 19th century who launched women's vocal art to global levels of recognition, known as much for the beauty of her voice as for her extensive works of charity.
#WomenInMusic #BookSky #MusicSky
#WomenInMusic #BookSky #MusicSky
January 28, 2026 at 3:06 PM
Continuing our Countdown to Launch Day UK, today's figure is Jenny Lind, one of a group of sopranos from the 19th century who launched women's vocal art to global levels of recognition, known as much for the beauty of her voice as for her extensive works of charity.
#WomenInMusic #BookSky #MusicSky
#WomenInMusic #BookSky #MusicSky
For today's Countdown to Launch Day UK figure, I want to highlight Bessie Smith, whose larger than life persona and powerful approach to blues singing continue to be a touchstone to this day, driving her massively successful record and touring career.
#WomenInMusic #MusicSky #BookSky 🎹🎷
#WomenInMusic #MusicSky #BookSky 🎹🎷
January 27, 2026 at 2:55 PM
For today's Countdown to Launch Day UK figure, I want to highlight Bessie Smith, whose larger than life persona and powerful approach to blues singing continue to be a touchstone to this day, driving her massively successful record and touring career.
#WomenInMusic #MusicSky #BookSky 🎹🎷
#WomenInMusic #MusicSky #BookSky 🎹🎷
Today's Countdown To Launch Day UK figure is the legendary Chinese opera star Bai Yushuang (1907-1942). She was sold into the profession as a child, and lived a short life full of grand drama. You can see her in the 1936 film Red Begonia.
#WomenInMusic #MusicSky #BookSky 🎹
Book Coming Jan 30!
#WomenInMusic #MusicSky #BookSky 🎹
Book Coming Jan 30!
January 26, 2026 at 3:11 PM
Today's Countdown To Launch Day UK figure is the legendary Chinese opera star Bai Yushuang (1907-1942). She was sold into the profession as a child, and lived a short life full of grand drama. You can see her in the 1936 film Red Begonia.
#WomenInMusic #MusicSky #BookSky 🎹
Book Coming Jan 30!
#WomenInMusic #MusicSky #BookSky 🎹
Book Coming Jan 30!
My next favorite figure from A History of Women in Music is The Boswell Sisters. It is hard to overstate their importance - Connie Boswell's innovative vocal arrangements and sense of musical play paved the way for so much to come. They deserve a permanent place in our memory.
#MusicSky #BookSky 🎹
#MusicSky #BookSky 🎹
January 25, 2026 at 3:42 PM
For today's Countdown to Launch Day UK I want to feature the magnificent MS Subbulakshmi (1916-2004), the immortal classical Carnatic singer whose career spanned six decades and crossed into film in the 1940s.
#WomenInMusic #MusicSky #BookSky 🎹♀️
Book coming January 30, 2026!
#WomenInMusic #MusicSky #BookSky 🎹♀️
Book coming January 30, 2026!
January 24, 2026 at 3:28 PM
For today's Countdown to Launch Day UK I want to feature the magnificent MS Subbulakshmi (1916-2004), the immortal classical Carnatic singer whose career spanned six decades and crossed into film in the 1940s.
#WomenInMusic #MusicSky #BookSky 🎹♀️
Book coming January 30, 2026!
#WomenInMusic #MusicSky #BookSky 🎹♀️
Book coming January 30, 2026!
Continuing the countdown to Launch Day UK, today I want to highlight Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729), the French prodigy embraced by the Sun King's court who went on to work marvels on the harpsichord and in the cantata form.
#WomenInMusic #BookSky #MusicSky 🎹♀️
Coming January 30!
#WomenInMusic #BookSky #MusicSky 🎹♀️
Coming January 30!
January 23, 2026 at 3:07 PM
Continuing the countdown to Launch Day UK, today I want to highlight Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729), the French prodigy embraced by the Sun King's court who went on to work marvels on the harpsichord and in the cantata form.
#WomenInMusic #BookSky #MusicSky 🎹♀️
Coming January 30!
#WomenInMusic #BookSky #MusicSky 🎹♀️
Coming January 30!
8 days until Launch Day UK for my new book, A History of Women in Music! We're celebrating with a little countdown of my favorite figures, and are starting with the wonderful DeZurik Sisters, who in the late 1930s released a series of records showcasing their stunt yodeling.
#MusicSky #BookSky 🎹♀️
#MusicSky #BookSky 🎹♀️
January 22, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Cover drop for my new book, A History of Women in Music From Antiquity to Present Day, coming out in the UK on January 30 and in the US in March! Available for pre-order now from @penandswordbooks.bsky.social or on Amazon! Check it out!
#BookSky #MusicSky #WomensHistory
#BookSky #MusicSky #WomensHistory
December 23, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Cover drop for my new book, A History of Women in Music From Antiquity to Present Day, coming out in the UK on January 30 and in the US in March! Available for pre-order now from @penandswordbooks.bsky.social or on Amazon! Check it out!
#BookSky #MusicSky #WomensHistory
#BookSky #MusicSky #WomensHistory
31 years ago today, Circle of Life was released as a single, and promptly went platinum in the UK & US. What I love is how Elton uses a move from tightly controlled chord movements to larger tonal leaps to expansively tell us the story of Life Itself.
#EltonJohn #LionKing #BookSky #MusicSky 🎹
#EltonJohn #LionKing #BookSky #MusicSky 🎹
August 9, 2025 at 3:33 PM
31 years ago today, Circle of Life was released as a single, and promptly went platinum in the UK & US. What I love is how Elton uses a move from tightly controlled chord movements to larger tonal leaps to expansively tell us the story of Life Itself.
#EltonJohn #LionKing #BookSky #MusicSky 🎹
#EltonJohn #LionKing #BookSky #MusicSky 🎹
Hey Folks - if you're from the San Francisco Bay Area, I'm going to be having an Elton John event at Hayward's Books on B on August 16 from 5:00 to 7:00. I'll be spinning & chatting about selections from some of my favorite Elton tracks, so come by and say hi!
#EltonJohn #BookSky #MusicSky🎹
#EltonJohn #BookSky #MusicSky🎹
August 3, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Hey Folks - if you're from the San Francisco Bay Area, I'm going to be having an Elton John event at Hayward's Books on B on August 16 from 5:00 to 7:00. I'll be spinning & chatting about selections from some of my favorite Elton tracks, so come by and say hi!
#EltonJohn #BookSky #MusicSky🎹
#EltonJohn #BookSky #MusicSky🎹
Forty one years ago today, #EltonJohn released the single "Passengers." Featuring a Bernie lyric about apartheid in Africa, Elton decided to musically match the theme by pulling sections of the melody from South African singer Phines Mkhize's 1963 song Isonto Lezayoni.
#MusicSky #BookSky 🎹
#MusicSky #BookSky 🎹
August 3, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Forty one years ago today, #EltonJohn released the single "Passengers." Featuring a Bernie lyric about apartheid in Africa, Elton decided to musically match the theme by pulling sections of the melody from South African singer Phines Mkhize's 1963 song Isonto Lezayoni.
#MusicSky #BookSky 🎹
#MusicSky #BookSky 🎹
In celebration of astronomer Maria Mitchell's 207th birthday, here's the comic I did for our original @wisarchive.bsky.social piece on her back in 2015! The bit about Vassar making her sleep on a cot is 100% true!
#WomenInSTEM #AstroSky #HistSci 🔭🧪
#WomenInSTEM #AstroSky #HistSci 🔭🧪
August 1, 2025 at 3:15 PM
In celebration of astronomer Maria Mitchell's 207th birthday, here's the comic I did for our original @wisarchive.bsky.social piece on her back in 2015! The bit about Vassar making her sleep on a cot is 100% true!
#WomenInSTEM #AstroSky #HistSci 🔭🧪
#WomenInSTEM #AstroSky #HistSci 🔭🧪
Honky Cat was released as a single 53 years ago today! The density of the musical layers places us in this space of intense overwhelming but seductive activity, making us FEEL like the lost country mice that Bernie describes. Just pitch perfect musical architecture.
#MusicSky #EltonJohn #BookSky 🎹
#MusicSky #EltonJohn #BookSky 🎹
July 31, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Honky Cat was released as a single 53 years ago today! The density of the musical layers places us in this space of intense overwhelming but seductive activity, making us FEEL like the lost country mice that Bernie describes. Just pitch perfect musical architecture.
#MusicSky #EltonJohn #BookSky 🎹
#MusicSky #EltonJohn #BookSky 🎹
Awww, I can't say how much Tom Lehrer meant to me as a kid. His phrasing and timing are in my head whenever I write, and his songs are a touchstone my father shared with me and I have shared with my kids in turn. I hope he was aware of even a fraction of how much love there is out there for him.
July 27, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Awww, I can't say how much Tom Lehrer meant to me as a kid. His phrasing and timing are in my head whenever I write, and his songs are a touchstone my father shared with me and I have shared with my kids in turn. I hope he was aware of even a fraction of how much love there is out there for him.
And in honor of Mildred Cohn's 112th birthday, here's the comic I originally did to accompany the @wisarchive.bsky.social feature on her life and work, just for funsies!
#WomenInSTEM #Biochemistry #HistSci 🧪
#WomenInSTEM #Biochemistry #HistSci 🧪
July 13, 2025 at 1:03 AM
And in honor of Mildred Cohn's 112th birthday, here's the comic I originally did to accompany the @wisarchive.bsky.social feature on her life and work, just for funsies!
#WomenInSTEM #Biochemistry #HistSci 🧪
#WomenInSTEM #Biochemistry #HistSci 🧪
"Electricity", Elton's 63rd UK Top-40 hit, came out 20 years ago today! It was the hit single from his musical Billy Elliot, which launched in 2005 and racked up some 13 Tony nominations. For all the drama kids out there, what's your favorite BE song?
#MusicSky #BookSky #Musicals #Drama
#MusicSky #BookSky #Musicals #Drama
July 11, 2025 at 3:12 PM
It's Launch Day USA for Elton John: Album By Album! 44 albums! Over 500 songs! So cuddle up with a copy, some of your favorite Elton albums, and a cup of tea, and dig into the stories and structures of Elton's unique craft!
Available At:
tinyurl.com/zb7ms3zc
#BookSky #MusicSky #MusicHistory 🎹
Available At:
tinyurl.com/zb7ms3zc
#BookSky #MusicSky #MusicHistory 🎹
July 10, 2025 at 3:53 PM
It's Launch Day USA for Elton John: Album By Album! 44 albums! Over 500 songs! So cuddle up with a copy, some of your favorite Elton albums, and a cup of tea, and dig into the stories and structures of Elton's unique craft!
Available At:
tinyurl.com/zb7ms3zc
#BookSky #MusicSky #MusicHistory 🎹
Available At:
tinyurl.com/zb7ms3zc
#BookSky #MusicSky #MusicHistory 🎹
51 years ago today, Elton John's Caribou launched in the UK. Containing two hit singles, it also features "Ticking", a probing account of a mass shooting that contains some of Elton's most haunting narrative use of the piano, and one of my favorite Elton tracks ever.
#EltonJohn #Music #BookSky 🎹
#EltonJohn #Music #BookSky 🎹
June 28, 2025 at 3:29 PM
51 years ago today, Elton John's Caribou launched in the UK. Containing two hit singles, it also features "Ticking", a probing account of a mass shooting that contains some of Elton's most haunting narrative use of the piano, and one of my favorite Elton tracks ever.
#EltonJohn #Music #BookSky 🎹
#EltonJohn #Music #BookSky 🎹
In celebration of Maria Goeppert-Mayer's 119th birthday, here is the comic I did for the @wisarchive.bsky.social about her most famous discovery, the Nuclear Shell Model, which explained why certain "magic numbers" of nucleons are more stable than others.
#WomenInSTEM #NobelPrize #Physics 🧪
#WomenInSTEM #NobelPrize #Physics 🧪
June 28, 2025 at 3:19 PM
In celebration of Maria Goeppert-Mayer's 119th birthday, here is the comic I did for the @wisarchive.bsky.social about her most famous discovery, the Nuclear Shell Model, which explained why certain "magic numbers" of nucleons are more stable than others.
#WomenInSTEM #NobelPrize #Physics 🧪
#WomenInSTEM #NobelPrize #Physics 🧪
Celebrating the 37th anniversary today of Reg Strikes Back! This has so many undersung gems on it - the cast of characters of "Heavy Traffic", the dark portraiture of "Poor Cow", the lost souls of "Town of Plenty." So grab your copy of Album by Album and pop it on!
#EltonJohn #BookSky #Music
#EltonJohn #BookSky #Music
June 24, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Celebrating the 37th anniversary today of Reg Strikes Back! This has so many undersung gems on it - the cast of characters of "Heavy Traffic", the dark portraiture of "Poor Cow", the lost souls of "Town of Plenty." So grab your copy of Album by Album and pop it on!
#EltonJohn #BookSky #Music
#EltonJohn #BookSky #Music
Just wrapped up the 276th episode of the Women in Science Archive for Tuesday - it's all about the incredible life and work of Dr. Hawa Abdi, whose Hope Village protected, fed, and provided med services for tens of thousands of people during the darkest years of the Somali civil war.
#WomenInSTEM
#WomenInSTEM
June 22, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Just wrapped up the 276th episode of the Women in Science Archive for Tuesday - it's all about the incredible life and work of Dr. Hawa Abdi, whose Hope Village protected, fed, and provided med services for tens of thousands of people during the darkest years of the Somali civil war.
#WomenInSTEM
#WomenInSTEM
33 years ago today, Elton John released The One, a triumphant album that jubilantly announced his new lease on life, and showcased some of the finest writing of his career, including "The Last Song", "Emily", "The One", and "Whitewash County." Read all about it in my book Elton John: Album by Album!
June 22, 2025 at 2:52 PM
33 years ago today, Elton John released The One, a triumphant album that jubilantly announced his new lease on life, and showcased some of the finest writing of his career, including "The Last Song", "Emily", "The One", and "Whitewash County." Read all about it in my book Elton John: Album by Album!
50 years ago today, Elton released "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" as a single, 1975's only single from Captain Fantastic, and a devastating account of Elton's attempted suicide from a half decade prior. It hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold.
#BookSky #MusicSky #EltonJohn 🎹
#BookSky #MusicSky #EltonJohn 🎹
June 21, 2025 at 5:33 AM
50 years ago today, Elton released "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" as a single, 1975's only single from Captain Fantastic, and a devastating account of Elton's attempted suicide from a half decade prior. It hit #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold.
#BookSky #MusicSky #EltonJohn 🎹
#BookSky #MusicSky #EltonJohn 🎹