I’ve been on a history facts kick as of late, and it’s high time that we pay our proper respects toward some of the world’s female historical figures that deserve far more recognition. We’ll cover some of the greats like Ida B. Wells, Katherine Johnson, and Bertha Benz. One of the most fun parts about educating oneself with various bits of history knowledge is that they’re also a great way to keep conversations going. People are curious, and there can never be too much history to take down.
1. Ching Shih (1775–1844)
Ching Shih was a Chinese pirate leader who was responsible for helping command one of history’s most massive pirate fleets, enforcing extremely strict codes, and defeating powerful naval fleets all the while.
2. Ida B. Wells (1862–1931)
Ida B. Wells was an African American journalist, a highly talented educator, and a passionate activist. Wells was responsible for leading numerous anti-lynching campaigns, fought for civil rights, and successfully co-founded the NAACP.
3. Hedy Lamarr (1914–2000)
Hedy Lamar was a Hollywood actress and also a brilliant inventor on the side. It’s not every day that you cross paths with someone who can pull that off. Lamarr helped co-develop a technology that could frequency-hop. That very tech would become the core building block for modern Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
4. Nzinga Mbande (1583–1663)
Nzinga Mbande was the Queen of Ndongo as well as Matamba (modern-day Angola). She resisted the Portugese colonization and also courageously fought to help safeguard her people’s independence.
5. Katherine Johnson (1918–2020)
Katherine Johnson was a brilliant mathematician whose calculations would ultimately play a crucial role in helping guide NASA’s space missions. You’ve probably heard of one of those missions, which happens to be called the Apollo moon landing.
6. Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717)
Maria Sibylla Merian was a pioneering naturalist as well as a scientific illustrator. She carried out numerous revelatory studies focused on the insect life cycles long, long before the creation of modern entomology.
7. Claudette Colvin (b. 1939)
Claudette Colvin showed the world just how fearless she was at the age of 15 when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger while in Alabama. This would end up igniting a movement just months before Rosa Parks.
8. Bertha Benz (1849–1944)
Bertha Benz ended up making history’s first ever long-distance car journey, which helped demonstrate the very practicality of her husband Karl Benz’s invention, the automobile.
9. Hatshepsut (c. 1507–1458 BCE)
Hatshepsut was one of ancient Egypt’s most famous pharaohs. She was responsible for helping expand trade, commissioned numerous grand architectural projects, and also ruled for two whole decades.
10. Sybil Ludington (1761–1839)
Sybil Ludington was a young American revolutionary war hero who ended up riding twice as far as Paul Revere to help rally the troops. Her clutch contributions are neglected far too often.
