In four short weeks, I can’t begin to honor all the women who should be honored during Women’s History Month. But I’m fascinated to learn about women who’ve dared to be different or make a difference. Here are 30 amazing women you never heard of–at least not in school:
Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị
1 – 43
Vietnam
Chose 36 women to be generals and successfully drove the Chinese out in 40 A.D. Trắc became queen, abolishing tribute taxes and attempted to revert back to a simpler government.
Hypatia of Alexandria
355 – 415
EGYPT
An unwed Pagan woman who taught astronomy and mathematics from her home and was a philosopher of the Neoplatonic school.
Fatima Al-Fihri
800 – 880
Kairouan, Abbasid Caliphate (Moracco)
Founded the world’s oldest continually operating, degree-granting university, the University of Al Qarawiyyin.
Tomoe Gozen
1157-1247
Japan
A legendary 12th century samurai warrior noted for being a skilled archer, often referred to as a “warrior worth a thousand.”
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
1651–1695
Mexico
Credited as the first published feminist of the New World.
Sybil Ludington
1761 – 1839
U.S.A.
Riding twice the distance, perhaps she should have been remembered in poem and song instead of Paul Revere.
Edmonia Lewis
1844 – 1907
U.S.A.
African-American / Chippewa sculptor, who specialized in portrait busts of abolitionists and patrons.
Ada Lovelace
1815 – 1852
Great Britain
Daughter of the poet Lord Byron who grew up to be the world’s first computer programmer.
Mary Edwards Walker
1832 – 1919
U.S.A.
First female physician in the U.S. Army and the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor.
Yaa Asantewaa
1840-1921
Ashanti Empire (now part of Ghana)
Warrior queen who also happened to be a 60 year old grandmother when she began fighting British Colonialism.
Cathay Williams
1844-1868
U.S.A.
First documented African-American woman to enlist and serve in the U.S. Army (disguised as a man).
Kate Sheppard
1848-1934
New Zealand
A women’s rights activist in New Zealand who eventually led New Zealand to be the first country that gave women the right to vote.
Susanna Salter
1860-1961
U.S.A.
Elected first female U.S. Mayor (Yay, Kansas!)
Edith Cowan
1861-1932
Australia
The first woman elected to an Australian Parliament.
Ida B. Wells
1862 – 1931
U.S.A.
The first African-American journalist.
Harriet Chalmers Adams
1875 – 1937
U.S.A.
An American writer, explorer, and photographer.
Constance Kopp
1877 – 1931
U.S.A.
America’s first woman sheriff.
Huda Sha’arawi
1879-1947
Egypt
Founded Egypt’s first female-run philanthropic society, which offered services for impoverished women and children. Her most impactful event was in Cairo when she removed her veil in public.
Eliza Zamfirescu
1887-1973
Romania
Recognized as the world’s first female engineer.
Bessie Coleman
1892 – 1926
U.S.A.
The first black woman to earn her pilot’s license,
Katharine Blodgett
1898-1979
U.S.A.
Invented non-glare glass as the first female engineer at General Electric’s research laboratory.
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin
1900 – 1979
U.S.A.
The first astronomer to discover that stars are made primarily of hydrogen and helium.
Virginia Hall
1906-1982
U.S.A.
Called “The Limping Lady” due to her wooden leg she worked behind German lines for more than 30 years and was considered the “most dangerous of all allied spies” by the Germans.
Dorothy Vaughan
1910 – 2008
U.S.A.
NASA’s first black manager.
Daisy Bates
1914-1999
U.S.A.
Helped the Little Rock Nine—the nine black students she recruited to enroll at Central High School—enter their new school safely, despite being blocked by the Arkansas National Guard.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko
1916-1974
Russia
Nicknamed “Lady Death,” she is the most successful female sniper in human history with 309 confirmed kills in WWII.
Rose Marie McCoy
1922 – 2015
U.S.A.
Wrote and/or collaborated on more than 850 songs for stars such as Big Maybelle, James Brown, Ruth Brown, Nat King Cole, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Mathis, Bette Midler, Elvis Presley, and Ike and Tina Turner.
Alice Coachman
1922-2014
U.S.A.
At the 1948 London Olympics, won the high jump for the United States, becoming the first black woman to win an Olympic Gold medal.
Stephanie Kwolek
1923-2014
U.S.A.
Chemist who invented Kevlar, the material used in most bulletproof vests and body armor.
Women have been accomplishing firsts since time began and are often overlooked by history. Fortunately, the internet makes a lot of these women’s history more available to all of us. I hope you enjoyed this list of 30 amazing women you’ve never heard of. Or had you heard of one or two?