There have been many famous people including women who have made their mark on history for their bravery, intelligence and leadership through struggle and confidence where they stood tall and strong in a man’s world. Here are 25 such amazing women in history who will never be forgotten.
The modern world will forever be indebted to scientist Marie Curie who alongside her husband researched radioactivity to make several important discoveries including radium even at the cost of her health. She was also instrumental in creating the first ambulance that helped save the lives of several soldiers in WWII. She was the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize.
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Margaret Heafield headed the software engineering team for NASA’s Apollo space program as the director. She even wrote the entire mathematical sequence that helped the Apollo mission to succeed.
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As a female aviator, she was the first to fly across the Atlantic in 1928 for which she earned the US Distinguished Flying Cross. Earhart is famous for the quote “Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail their failure must be but a challenge to others.”
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The world’s first female engineer who graduated from the Royal Academy of Technology Berlin in 1912. She was first rejected in Romania because of misogynies of the time. She persisted and achieved her dream in Germany.
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As a civil rights activist, Rosa parks was famous for the incident where she refused to obey the command of bus driver James F Blake to give up her seat in the colored section to a white passenger. Her defiant action became a symbol of the civil rights movement in the US.
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Sofia Ionescu from Romania worked as the world’s first female neurosurgeon for 47 years where she was known to have performed every conceivable type of neurosurgery known to medical science at the time.
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She became famous for being the American woman who invented Kevlar which is the material used in bulletproof vests and the manufacturing of boats, tennis rackets, ropes, cables, planes, skis, and tires. She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1995.
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One of the most amazing women in history, She was the Queen of Jhansi known for her leadership I the rebellion against British rule in India. When the British came to annex her territory, she led her army on horseback with her child strapped on her back. Rani Lakshmi Bai was one of the first Indian martyrs who died fighting for independence as she was killed in battle.
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Lyudmila Pavlichenko was a Russian sniper in World War II regarded as one of the top military snipers of all time and the most successful female sniper in history. Nicknamed “Lady Death”, she was credited with 309 confirmed kills and was honored with the hero of the Soviet Union award.
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As one of the most dangerous of spies working for the allied forces in WWII, she was regarded as the “Limping lady” by the Germans because of her wooden leg. She was deadly and courageous enough to work behind German lines for more than 30 years and is the most successful spy working for the OSS who was the precursor to the CIA. She was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
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The Tank Lady who sold all her possessions to purchase a T-34 tank so that she could pilot it against the Germans in revenge for her husband a soldier killed in action. She even donated the tank to the Soviet Red Army on condition that she would be made its commander. She was known for her courage on the battlefield and was awarded the hero of The Soviet Union award.
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An incredible English mathematician, she worked and helped Charles Babbage create the world’s first computer known as the analytical machine. More than Babbage, she recognized the machine’s abilities to perform various applications and invented the first algorithm to be used by the machine for applications beyond calculation. As a result, she became the world’s first computer programmer.
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The America Tennis legend who is attributed with more than 39 grand slam titles amongst which 12 were won in woman’s singles. She was also the first ever athlete to declare herself gay in 1981. She was also famous for defeating Bobby Riggs 3 sets to nil who though past his prime declared he could defeat ay female pro.
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Segouin was known for her active fighting along with the French resistance against the German occupation of France in WWII. She took part in the war to liberate France and was famous for her defiant act of stealing a bicycle belonging to a high ranking Nazi administrator.
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Irene Sandler besides being a nurse was a humanitarian who started the Polish underground rescuing Jews from the Nazis. She was in charge of the Zegota or children’s section and helped save over 2,500 Jewish children smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto. Sendler was credited with saving the most Jews during the Holocaust.
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Sabiha Gokcen became the first female Turkish combat pilot when she was 23 years old. Many consider her to be the world’s first female fighter pilot. She was a pioneer in aviation and one of Istanbul’s airports is now named after her.
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Tomoe Gozen is considered the real Mulan because she was a 12th-century samurai warrior famed for her skills in archery and was called a warrior worth a thousand. Tomoe was also one of the several OnaBugeisha or female Samurai warriors who also fought alongside male samurais.
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She was the warrior queen of the Mercians who became the ruler of her little Anglo-Saxon kingdom upon her husband’s death. She fought and warded off several Viking invasions. Her rise to the throne is widely regarded as a unique event in history.
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She was an American author and activist who though being deaf and blind earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. She was an inspiration to many deaf and blind people around the world because of her lectures and contribution to communication for the deaf and blind.
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Nicknamed the Maid of Orleans, she was just a peasant girl who was instrumental in helping the Dauphin of France gain victory over the English forces in the hundred years war. Her victories led to Charles the II of France being crowned king. Tragically though she was captured by the British who declared her a witch and burned at the stake on May 30th 1431 at the age of 19. She was canonized a saint in 1920 and became known as St Joan of Arc.
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The entire nursing fraternity knows the Lady with the Lamp. As a social reformer, she was instrumental in introducing modern nursing to society. She became an icon of Victorian culture for her role in the Crimean war when she tended to soldiers even in the middle of the night caring for their wounds and even comforting them. Hence she was known as “the Lady with the Lamp”.
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Jeanne de Clisson was a regular housewife but when her English nobleman was killed during the proxy wars between England and France, she was so angered that she sold off her estate and became a pirate in the English Channel attacking and robbing French ships beheading every French nobleman she captured and came across. As they say, hell hath no fury than a woman scorned.
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Good Queen Bess as she was fondly called was perhaps one of the most famous figures in history, Elizabeth I the daughter of Henry the VIII, was a strong and determined queen ruling England between 1558 and 1603. She preferred to remain unmarried and was known for her reforms where England flourished under her reign which was known as the Elizabethan Era. She established the protestant church that later came to be known as the Church of England. It was during her rule that English drama and theater gained prominence giving birth to playwrights such as Shakespeare.
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Yaa Asantewaa was a warrior Queen of Ghana who was known for her role in the war against British colonialism. She was also a 60-year-old grandmother but that didn’t stop her from fighting for her country. She was an icon of African womanhood and a prominent figure of resistance to European Colonialism.
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Among amazing women in history, Ching Shih was a Chinese woman who was captured by a pirate Cheng I in the early 1800 who married her. Upon his death, she assumed the role of the captain and grew her fleet to 1800 ships. She soon became the commander of 40,000 to 80,000 pirates and is hailed as the most successful pirate in history. Shih was also depicted in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean as one of the nine Pirate lords.
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