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What Sort of Book is it?

What's in it?

100 stories of badass historical and mythical women from all around the world, most of whom you've never heard of. Each entry has a page of illustration and a page or two of text.

What age group is this good for?

Short answer: 12 and up. Younger readers could enjoy most of it, but you'd probably want to read it with them.

Long answer: There's harsh material at the very end, but every entry has content warnings and a maturity level. In terms of US movie ratings, it's probably 35% PG, 60% PG-13, 5% R. This isn't a book to censor history or try to put a pretty spin on things, but it also doesn't get explicit regularly or without reason. Some of the most harrowing entries are online, to help you gauge how bad it gets: check out Ida B Wells, Wu Zetian, and Elisabeth Bathory.

Who's in the book?

The full table of contents is available below - click here to jump to it. Twenty entries are available for you to preview!

How Can I Get a Copy?

First, it's out in bookstores everywhere, so supporting your local bookstore!

It's also totally available for order online. Click any of the icons below:

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Here's some of the entries in the book. Click through to read them.

(keep an eye out for these icons, showing content posted online that didn't make the final cut for the book)

Cut Content: Cut content that couldn't make it into the main entry.     Art Notes: Art notes that couldn't make it into the book.

Heroes

Noor Inayat Khan: The Spy Princess

Pacifist Indian princess who gave up everything of herself to hold the line in occupied Paris during World War 2.

Mai Bhago: Savior of the Sikhs

This Sikh warrior saint led 40 deserters back into battle and in so doing, possibly saved her entire religion from extinction.

Osh-Tisch: Princess of Two Spirits

The last Crow nation baté (Two Spirit mystic) in history, she earned her name -- which means "Finds Them and Kills Them" -- by tirelessly fighting to preserve her way of life.

Rebels

Petra Herrera: Soldadera Princess

Mexican revolutionary who bombed bridges, led hundreds of women into battle, and was instrumental in turning the tide of the war for the revolutionaries.

Julie d'Aubigny: Princess of the Opera

Sword-slinging, opera-singing bisexual rock star of the 17th century - who burnt down a convent to romance a nun and had to be pardoned by the king of France TWICE.

Khutulun: The Wrestler Princess

This undefeated warrior princess refused to marry unless her suitor could defeat her in wrestling - if he lost, he owed her 100 horses. In the end, she had 10,000 horses and no husband.

Intellectuals

Annie Jump Cannon: The Queen of Modern Astronomy

This astronomer threw off all the social conventions of her day to pursue her one true calling: the stars.

Ida B. Wells: Princess of the Press Cut Content

One of the first anti-lynching advocates, she risked her life for decades to report on the truth when nobody would believe her.

Hypatia: The Martyr Mathematician

The first female mathematician in recorded history, and one of the luminaries of the ancient world - but her grisly death at the hands of a mob was only the start of her troubles.

Warrior Women

Iara: Brazil's Lady of the Lake

When this indigenous Brazilian warrior mermaid proved too awesome for her tribe, she just took up residence in the water, and started an aquatic harem of passers-by.

Mariya Oktyabrskaya: The Tank-Driving Widow

When her husband was killed in WW2, she sold all their belongings, bought a tank, named it Fighting Girlfriend, and started killing Nazis.

Nzinga Mbande: Mother of Angola

When the Portuguese took the throne from her, this Angolan queen made a new one: out of her own servant. She then fled to the jungle, conquered a tribe of cannibals, and waged war on the Portuguese for so long that they gave up and left.

Iron Queens

Tomyris: Head-defiling Warrior Queen Cut Content

When the most powerful man in the world made plans on her country, she: turned down his marriage proposal, destroyed his armies, and defiled his head so famously that she became legend for centuries thereafter.

Boudica: The Headhunter Queen

This legendary warrior queen killed 70,000 Romans, burnt London to the ground, and became the most famous headhunter of all time - and to this day, Britain loves her for it.

Shajar al-Durr: King-ransoming Sultan

Muslim sultan who took the throne, defeated Louis IX in battle, ransomed him back to France for 30% of their GDP --- and did it all in secret.

Wicked Ladies

Elisabeth Bathory: The Blood Countess

Possibly the most prolific female serial killer in history, a primary inspiration for Dracula, one of the most reviled women in history, and, I argue, innocent.

Wu Zetian: China's Only Female Emperor

The only female emperor of China in history, her ruthless rise to power makes Game of Thrones look like a day at the beach.

Ching Shih: Princess of the Chinese Seas Art Notes

Headed a squadron of 80,000 pirates, ruled the Chinese seas for two decades, and actually retired happily - but not before extorting a nice pension from the Chinese government.

Banished But Not Forgotten

The Rest of the Book

Annie Jump Cannon

This astronomer threw off all the social conventions of her day to pursue her one true calling: the stars.

Iara

When this indigenous Brazilian warrior mermaid proved too awesome for her tribe, she just took up residence in the water, and started an aquatic harem of passers-by.

Hypatia

The first female mathematician in recorded history, and one of the luminaries of the ancient world - but her grisly death at the hands of a mob was only the start of her troubles.

Boudica

This legendary warrior queen killed 70,000 Romans, burnt London to the ground, and became the most famous headhunter of all time - and to this day, Britain loves her for it.

Tomyris

When the most powerful man in the world made plans on her country, she: turned down his marriage proposal, destroyed his armies, and defiled his head so famously that she became legend for centuries thereafter.

Ching Shih

Headed a squadron of 80,000 pirates, ruled the Chinese seas for two decades, and actually retired happily - but not before extorting a nice pension from the Chinese government.

Noor Inayat Khan

Pacifist Indian princess who gave up everything of herself to hold the line in occupied Paris during World War 2.

Julie d’Aubigny

Sword-slinging, opera-singing bisexual rock star of the 17th century - who burnt down a convent to romance a nun and had to be pardoned by the king of France TWICE.

Shajar al-Durr

Muslim sultan who took the throne, defeated Louis IX in battle, ransomed him back to France for 30% of their GDP --- and did it all in secret.

Osh-Tisch

The last Crow nation baté (Two Spirit mystic) in history, she earned her name -- which means "Finds Them and Kills Them" -- by tirelessly fighting to preserve her way of life.

Ida B. Wells

One of the first anti-lynching advocates, she risked her life for decades to report on the truth when nobody would believe her.

Elisabeth Bathory

Possibly the most prolific female serial killer in history, a primary inspiration for Dracula, one of the most reviled women in history, and, I argue, innocent.

Petra Herrera

Mexican revolutionary who bombed bridges, led hundreds of women into battle, and was instrumental in turning the tide of the war for the revolutionaries.

Khutulun

This undefeated warrior princess refused to marry unless her suitor could defeat her in wrestling - if he lost, he owed her 100 horses. In the end, she had 10,000 horses and no husband.

Mai Bhago

This Sikh warrior saint led 40 deserters back into battle and in so doing, possibly saved her entire religion from extinction.

Wu Zetian

The only female emperor of China in history, her ruthless rise to power makes Game of Thrones look like a day at the beach.

Mariya Oktyabrskaya

When her husband was killed in WW2, she sold all their belongings, bought a tank, named it Fighting Girlfriend, and started killing Nazis.

Sita

After being saved from demonic forces, this legendary Indian princess is then subjected to endless purity tests by her own husband. She eventually puts an end to his questions in a manner that surprised everyone.

Nzinga Mbande

When the Portuguese took the throne from her, this Angolan queen made a new one: out of her own servant. She then fled to the jungle, conquered a tribe of cannibals, and waged war on the Portuguese for so long that they gave up and left.

Hatshepsut

One of the greatest pharaohs to ever live, she built up Egypt so much that a generations-long sustained effort to erase her from history couldn't do the trick.

Neerja Bhanot

When terrorists hijacked her plane, she gave her life to save it, becoming the youngest recipient of India's highest honor.

Phoolan Devi

This "untouchable" woman ended decades of abuse by starting a bandit gang and avenging the lower castes. After some time in prison, she got out, ran for parliament, and won.

Malinche

Sold into sexual slavery to Hernan Cortes, this maligned woman became his interpreter, and it was with her words that the Aztec Empire fell.

Arawelo

Somalia's ballsiest queen, she took power from men either figuratively or literally - by ordering much of the gender castrated. Hero or villain, depending on who's doing the telling, she remains one of Africa's most divisive figures.

Caterina Sforza

The illegitimate daughter of a minor noble, after losing her husband, she became one of the most powerful and fierce women in Italy - commanding troops, insulting Machiavelli, and fighting Cesare Borgia with unmatched ferocity.

Artemisia Gentileschi

One of the greatest painters of the baroque, she revenged herself on her rapist both in the court of law and in her powerful, grotesque, incredibly popular paintings that depicted his gruesome death.

Micaela Bastidas

The strident partner of the eponymously-named Tupac Amaru Rebellion of native peoples against the Spanish, she handled army and bureaucratic logistics with an unmatched efficiency. Cut Content: Tupac Amaru's Demands His demands were surprisingly minimal: he primarily wanted less enforced labor and a court closer to where he lived, so he wouldn't have to trek all the way out to Lima from the Andes.

Cut Content: Micaela's Graphic Death

Records say the Spanish cut out her tongue and then tried to use a garrote on her. Her neck proved too slender, however, so they used rope and then kicked her until dead. Tupac got off worse - after watching the executions of his family and having his tongue cut out, each of his hands and legs were tied to a different horse and he was literally pulled apart. In a shocking turn of events, the brutal slaughter of folk heroes did not achieve the desired goal of winning over the average Andean.

Empress Myeongseong

Picked to be an impotent figurehead, this savvy intellectual quickly learned how to play politics and modernized the nation to ward off invasion.

Marguerite de la Rocque

Stranded by her cruel relative on an abandoned Canadian island (literally named the Isle of Demons), she survived for two years by hunting animals and eventually made it back to France.

Kharboucha

This legendary pockmarked poet sang truth to power and was killed for it, becoming an enduring symbol of resistance.

Joan of Arc

The infamous teen girl who helped end the Hundred Years War and save France - but do you know how she got to such prominence? This book has an answer, and it involves another powerful woman, operating behind the scenes...

The Night Witches

This all-female civilian volunteer unit of the WW2 Soviet military overcame a lack of training, equipment, and faith to pull off one of the greatest underdog feats in human history and in so doing become Germany's worst nightmare.

Yoshiko Kawashima

Bisexual cross-dressing spy princess of the Qing dynasty - a hero to some and unspeakable villain to others.

Qiu Jin

This revolutionary martyred herself to help rid China of the Qing dynasty.

Jezebel

Roundly-despised and unfairly-maligned seductress of the bible who ran afoul of the wrong priests.

Marie Mancini

Joined her sister Hortense Mancini in escaping from an equally abusive marriage, making headlines (and trouble) all across Europe in the process.

Hortense Mancini

One of the most infamous libertines of the Renaissance, she cavorted all over Europe to flee her abusive marriage, lived a hedonistic life, and wrote memoirs under her own name - all in an attempt to win herself a divorce.

Marjana

The actual hero of the Ali Baba myth, this slave girl saves the titular character by singlehandedly dispatching the forty thieves - without him even knowing.

Emmeline Pankhurst

This unassuming middle-aged woman became one of Britain's most notorious terrorists in her unyielding quest to win women the right to vote.

Anita Garibaldi

This heroine of South America and Italy fought in numerous civil wars alongside her husband, Giuseppe Garibaldi, often while pregnant or while carrying her children.

Princess Caraboo

This phony Asian royalty fooled rural England for some time - but the truth she was hiding was far darker.

Khawlah bint al-Azwar

When Byzantine forces captured her brother, this warrior poet donned the outfit of a black knight and went on a bloody rescue mission.

Amba/Sikhandi

When this princess had her life ruined by an unstoppable warrior, she: became a fervent ascetic for years and got a divine boon; killed herself to reincarnate faster; came back as a man; and killed the man who'd wronged her, in the stunning climax of the world's longest epic poem.

Alice B. Clement

Chicago detective whose crime-busting exploits grew so popular she had her own newspaper series and starred in her own movie.

Dhat al-Himma

Sword-slinging Arabian heroine who stars as the heroine of an extremely long and entertaining epic tale.

Josephine Baker

Rose from dire poverty and violence to become the greatest black entertainer of all time - Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Angelina Jolie all rolled into one.

Agontime

The world's fiercest all-female fighting force, and the incredible legend of how they rescued their deposed queen from slavery in Brazil.

Mata Hari

This amateur dancer escaped a life of abuse by pretending to be an Indonesian princess - and eventually became a victim of the maniacal world of espionage.

Olga of Kiev

Brutal princess-turned-Christian saint who burnt down enemy towns using pigeons.

A’isha bint abi Bakr

Independent, bold wife of the Prophet Muhammad, she led armies in the Battle of the Camel and was one of the central figures of the Shia/Sunni civil war that continues to this day. (Note: this entry's image follows Islamic artistic conventions to depict its figures respectfully)

Anne Hutchinson

This uneducated rebel preacher upstaged New England magistrates so much that they founded Harvard University in part to prevent women like her from gaining power.

Harriet Tubman

Escaped slave turned slave rescuer turned plantation-torching Union spymaster, she was part Moses, part Joan of Arc, part Spider-Man.

Christine de Pizan

When her husband unexpectedly died, she rolled up her sleeves and became one of the greatest authors of the age to keep food on the table. She wrote passionate defenses of her gender (and military treatises!) that were centuries ahead of their time.

Laskarina Bouboulina

Born in a prison cell, this revolutionary financed and led a large chunk of Greece's navy to victory in their fight for independence.

Ada Lovelace

History's first computer programmer, who invented algorithms for the first computer - which didn't even exist during her lifetime, so she had to do it all in her head.

Wallada bint al-Mustakfi

Spirited poetry-spouting princess who lived an audacious life and put her cheating lover on blast with her expert slam poetry.

Yael

Saved the Jewish people by hammering a tent spike through an unsuspecting house guest's head.

Rani Lakshmibai

Widowed young queen who led a fearsome rebellion against the British with her child tied to her back.

Theodora

Sex worker who became empress of the Byzantine Empire, and used her political power to safeguard her interests, and her husband's reputation.

Tomoe Gozen

Fearsome undefeated samurai warrior who was "a match for any god or demon," and is one of Japan's greatest heroines to this day.

Xtabay

Chaste and virtuous woman spends life assuming she's better than her more sex-positive neighbor, and for this haughtiness becomes in death a demonic woman who lures wayward men to their death - a stunning indigenous inversion of the Madonna/whore complex.

Nanny of the Maroons

Led colony of escaped slaves and protected them from the English using borderline supernatural abilities.

Nana Asma’u

Massively educated princess who started all-female gang of itinerant teachers, who would roam the land and educate unsuspecting passersby.

Chiyome Mochizuki

Recruited widows, orphans, and prostitutes into an all-woman ninja spy group, the largest in Asia at the time.

Josefina Guerrero

Let her leprosy go untreated for years to make herself the perfect spy in the Japan-occupied Philippines - soldiers wouldn't touch her, so she could slip right through.

Mary Lacy

This self-described "undutiful daughter" posed as a man to become the world's first female shipwright.

Nwanyeruwa

Instigated a massive "women's war" against British taxation, the effect of which was one part protest movement, one part comedy roast, and one part block party.

Pope Joan

This pope was largely assumed to be male until she gave birth in the midst of a procession - and largely assumed to be factual until the 13th century.

Mary Bowser

Brilliant undercover spy who posed as a slave to spy on - and attempt to burn down - the Confederate White House.

The Valiant Ladies of Potosi

Eustaquia de Souza and Ana Lezama de Urinza, two sword-and-gun-toting lesbian teen vigilantes - 17th century Bolivia's answer to Batman.

Gertrude Bell

Tossed off the expectations of Victorian society to become an expert mountaineer and archaeologist, traveled the Middle East by herself - later teaching Lawrence of Arabia how it's done - and became one of the most influential women in the English empire, advocating loudly for Iraq's self-governance.

Yaa Asantewaa

As an old woman, led an incredibly successful rebellion against British colonialism, known as The War of the Golden Stool, or the Yaa Asantewaa War.

Trung Trac and Trung Nhi

Sisters who led an army on elephant-back to overthrow oppressive Chinese rule and establish a short-lived Vietnamese kingdom.

Elizabeth Bisland

Rose from poverty to become a respected journalist who raced Nellie Bly around the world.

Nellie Bly

Daring journalist who infiltrated insane asylums, exposed slavery rings, and raced around the world in under 80 days.

Moll Cutpurse

Cross-dressing Queen of Thieves who flouted social norms and had plays written about her.

Matilda of Tuscany

Fiery defender of the pope who made kings kneel before her.

Sayyida al-Hurra

Indomitable pirate queen who ran Morocco and ruined Portuguese trade.

Gracia Mendes Nasi

Jewish businesswoman who saved thousands of Jews from the Inquisition by smuggling them out of the country.

Katie Sandwina

Champion weightlifter, suffragette, mom - this "Lady Hercules" did it all.

Ka’ahumanu

United Hawaii under one rule, abolished ancient taboos, and led negotiations with the fledgling United States.

Emmy Noether

Revolutionized the field of mathematics, yet was persecuted for being Jewish and paid a pittance for her visionary teaching work.

Tin Hinan

The greatest leader of the nomadic Tuareg tribe of northern Africa, who put their men in veils and let their women run the show.

Jane Dieulafoy

A phenomenally successful archaeologist who became a fashion icon for wearing men's clothing.

Marie Marvingt

Ludicrously over-accomplished athlete who invented flying ambulances and won the only gold medal ever awarded by the French Academy of Sports for "all sports" - yes, all of them.

Keumalahayati

The first naval admiral of modern times, she protected her country from foreign invaders with aplomb.

Alfhild

Viking princess who decided she'd rather be a pirate than get married.

Calafia

Black, Muslim warrior queen of a tribe of griffin-riding Amazons - and the honest-to-god namesake of California.

Wilma Rudolph

Overcame polio, poverty, measles, mumps, scarlet fever, racism, whooping cough, and teenage pregnancy to make Olympic history by winning three gold medals.

Yennenga

An unbeatable warrior princess who just wanted to have kids - and founded a new nation in her quest to do so.

“Stagecoach” Mary Fields

Pistol-packing, liquor-swigging, 6'2" black postal carrier/babysitter of the Wild West.

Grace O’Malley

Irish pirate queen who led decades of rebellions against England, met face-to-face with Elizabeth I, and got official license to continue her piracy.

Florence Nightingale

One half of the odd couple of Crimean nursing - the by-the-book Victorian rebel who revolutionized the field of medicine who stood in stark to Mary Seacole's jolly reliance on folk remedies and home comforts.

Mary Seacole

One half of the odd couple of Crimean nursing - the jolly black businesswoman who swore by folk remedies, in stark contrast to Florence Nightingale's by-the-book Victorian approach to medicine.

Andamana

Indigenous lawmaker who united warring tribes under a unified code of laws that she made herself.

Kurmanjan Datka

A clever woman who rose from obscurity to become a political force, playing nations against each other to protect her people.

Sybil Ludington

To warn against the incoming British, this teen girl staged her own midnight ride - far longer and more dangerous than Paul Revere's.

Moremi Ajasoro

When a neighboring tribe threatened the Yoruba, this queen went undercover as a spy to find their weakness.

Te Puea Herangi

The reluctant royal who became the Maori's greatest leader.

Agnodice

After disguising herself as a man to be the physician women needed, she was put on trial - and won.

Tatterhood

This goat-riding, spoon-wielding princess fought trolls to save her sister. 2
Has Web Preview Book-Only Entries

All of these have illustrations and stories just like the ones above - but you can only see them in the book!

(keep an eye out for these icons, showing content posted online that didn't make the final cut for the book)

Cut Content: Cut content that couldn't make it into the main entry.     Art Notes: Art notes that couldn't make it into the book.

  1. Tatterhood (Norwegian folk tale)

    Goat-riding, spoon-wielding princess who fights trolls to save her sister.

  2. Agnodice (4th century BCE, Greece) Art Notes

    Disguised herself as a man to be the physician women needed.

  3. Te Puea Herangi (1883-1952, New Zealand) Cut ContentArt Notes

    The reluctant royal who became the Maori's greatest leader.

  4. Moremi Ajasoro (12th century, Nigeria) Art Notes

    When a neighboring tribe threatened the Yoruba, she went undercover as a spy to find their weakness.

  5. Sybil Ludington (1761-1839, United States) Art Notes

    To warn against the incoming British, this teen girl staged her own midnight ride - far longer and more dangerous than Paul Revere's.

  6. Kurmanjan Datka (1811-1907, Kyrgyzstan) Cut ContentArt Notes

    A clever woman who rose from obscurity to become a political force, playing nations against each other to protect her people.

  7. Andamana (14th century, Canary Islands)

    Indigenous lawmaker who united warring tribes under a unified code of laws that she made herself.

  8. Mary Seacole (1805-1881, Jamaica/Crimea) Cut ContentArt Notes and Florence Nightingale (1820-1910, England/Crimea) Cut ContentArt Notes

    The odd couple of Crimean nursing - one a jolly black businesswoman who swore by folk remedies, the other a by-the-book Victorian rebel who revolutionized the field of medicine.

  9. Grainne 'Grace O'Malley' ni Mhaille (aka Granuaile) (1530-1603)

    Irish pirate queen who led decades of rebellions against England, met face-to-face with Elizabeth I, and got official license to continue her piracy.

  10. 'Stagecoach' Mary Fields (1832-1914)

    Pistol-packing, liquor-swigging, 6'2" black postal carrier/babysitter of the Wild West.

  11. Yennenga (early 12th century, Burkina Faso/Ghana) Art Notes

    An unbeatable warrior princess who just wanted to have kids - and founded a new nation in her quest to do so.

  12. Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994, United States)

    Overcame polio, poverty, measles, mumps, scarlet fever, racism, whooping cough, and teenage pregnancy to make Olympic history by winning three gold medals.

  13. Alfhild (5th century, Denmark) Cut ContentArt Notes

    Viking princess who decided she'd rather be a pirate than get married.

  14. Calafia (16th century Spanish Myth) Cut ContentArt Notes

    Black, Muslim warrior queen of a tribe of griffin-riding Amazons - and the honest-to-god namesake of California.

  15. Keumalahayati (16th-17th century, Indonesia/Aceh) Cut ContentArt Notes

    The first naval admiral of modern times, she protected her country from foreign invaders with aplomb.

  1. Marie Marvingt (1875-1963, France) Art Notes

    Ludicrously over-accomplished athlete who invented flying ambulances and won the only gold medal ever awarded by the French Academy of Sports for "all sports" - yes, all of them.

  2. Jane Dieulafoy (1851-1916, France/Persia/Iran) Art Notes

    A phenomenally successful archaeologist who became a fashion icon for wearing men's clothing.

  3. Tin Hinan (4th/5th century, Algeria)

    The greatest leader of the nomadic Tuareg tribe of northern Africa, who put their men in veils and let their women run the show.

  4. Emmy Noether (1882-1935, Germany/United States) Art Notes

    Revolutionized the field of mathematics, yet was persecuted for being Jewish and paid a pittance for her visionary teaching work.

  5. Ka'ahumanu (c.1768-1832, Hawaii)

    United Hawaii under one rule, abolished ancient taboos, and led negotiations with the fledgling United States.

  6. Katie Sandwina (1884-1952, Austria/United States) Art Notes

    Champion weightlifter, suffragette, mom - this "Lady Hercules" did it all.

  7. Gracia Mendes Nasi (1510-1569, Portugal/Italy/Turkey)

    Jewish businesswomen who saved thousands of Jews from the Inquisition by smuggling them out of the country.

  8. Sayyida al-Hurra (c.1482-1562, Morocco) Art Notes

    Indomitable pirate queen who ran Morocco and ruined Portugal.

  9. Matilda of Tuscany (1046-1115, Italy) Art Notes

    Fiery defender of the pope who made kings kneel before her.

  10. Mary Frith aka Moll Cutpurse (1582-1659, England)

    Cross-dressing Queen of Thieves who flouted social norms and had plays written about her.

  11. Nellie Bly aka Elizabeth Cochran(1864-1922, United States) Art Notes

    Daring journalist who infiltrated insane asylums, exposed slavery rings, and raced around the world in under 80 days.

  12. Elizabeth Bisland(1861-1929, United States) Art Notes

    Rose from poverty to become a respected journalist who raced Nellie Bly around the world.

  13. Trung Trac and Trung Nhi(1st century, Vietnam) Cut Content

    Sisters who led an army on elephant-back to overthrow oppressive Chinese rule and establish a short-lived Vietnamese kingdom.

  14. Yaa Asantewaa(c.1830-1921, Ghana/Asante Confederacy)

    As an old woman, led an incredibly successful rebellion against British colonialism, known as The War of the Golden Stool, or the Yaa Asantewaa War.

  15. Gertrude Bell (1868-1926, England/Mesopotamia/Iraq) Art Notes

    Tossed off the expectations of Victorian society, became an expert mountaineer, traveled the Middle East by herself - later teaching Lawrence of Arabia how it's done - and became one of the most influential women in the English empire.

  1. Eustaquia de Souza and Ana Lezama de Urinza (17th century, Bolivia)

    Sword-and-gun-toting lesbian teen vigilantes - 17th century Potosi's answer to Batman.

  2. Mary Bowser (19th century, United States)

    Brilliant undercover spy who posed as a slave to spy on - and attempt to burn down - the Confederate White House.

  3. Pope Joan (9th century, Vatican City) Art Notes

    This pope was largely assumed to be male until she gave birth in the midst of a procession - and largely assumed to be factual until the 13th century.

  4. Nwanyeruwa (early 20th century, Nigeria)

    Instigated a massive "women's war" against British taxation, the effect of which was one part protest movement, one part comedy roast, and one part block party.

  5. Mary Lacy (1740-1801, England)

    This self-described "undutiful daughter" posed as a man to become the world's first female shipwright.

  6. Josefina 'Joey' Guerrero (1918-1996, Philippines/United States) Cut ContentArt Notes

    Let her leprosy go untreated for years to make herself the perfect spy in the Japan-occupied Philippines - soldiers wouldn't touch her, so she could slip right through.

  7. Chiyome Mochizuki (16th century, Japan)

    Recruited widows, orphans, and prostitutes into an all-woman ninja spy group, the largest in Asia at the time.

  8. Nana Asma'u (1793-1864, Nigeria/Sokoto Caliphate) Cut ContentArt Notes

    Massively educated princess who started all-female gang of itinerant teachers, who would roam the land and educate unsuspecting passersby.

  9. Nanny of the Maroons (c.1680-1750, Jamaica) Art Notes

    Led colony of escaped slaves and protected them from the English using borderline supernatural abilities.

  10. Xtabay (Mesoamerican myth)

    Chaste and virtuous woman spends life assuming she's better than her more sex-positive neighbor, and for this haughtiness becomes in death a demonic woman who lures wayward men to their death - a stunning indigenous inversion of the Madonna/whore complex.

  11. Tomoe Gozen (1157-1247, Japan)

    Fearsome undefeated samurai warrior who was "a match for any god or demon," and is one of Japan's greatest heroines to this day.

  12. Empress Theodora (c.497-548, Turkey/Byzantine Empire)

    Sex worker who became empress of the Byzantine Empire, and used her political power to safeguard her interests, and her husband's reputation.

  13. Rani Lakshmibai (1828-1858, India)

    Widowed young queen who led a fearsome rebellion against the British with her child tied to her back.

  14. Yael (13th century BCE, Israel/Canaan) Art Notes

    Saved the Jewish people by hammering a tent spike through an unsuspecting house guest's head.

  1. Wallada bint al-Mustakfi (c.1000-1091, Spain/al-Andalus)

    Spirited poetry-spouting princess who lived an audacious life and put her cheating lover on blast with her expert slam poetry.

  2. Ada Lovelace (1815-1852, England)

    History's first computer programmer, who invented algorithms for the first computer - which didn't even exist during her lifetime, so she had to do it all in her head.

  3. Laskarina Bouboulina (1771-1825, Greece) Art Notes

    Born in a prison cell, this revolutionary financed and led a large chunk of Greece's navy to victory in their fight for independence.

  4. Christine de Pizan (1364-c.1430, France) Cut ContentArt Notes

    When her husband unexpectedly died, she rolled up her sleeves and became one of the greatest authors of the age to keep food on the table. She wrote passionate defenses of her gender (and military treatises!) that were centuries ahead of their time.

  5. Harriet Tubman (1822-1913, United States) Art Notes

    Escaped slave turned slave rescuer turned plantation-torching Union spymaster, she was part Moses, part Joan of Arc, part Spider-Man.

  6. Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643, United States) Art Notes

    This uneducated rebel preacher upstaged New England magistrates so much that they founded Harvard University in part to prevent women like her from gaining power.

  7. A'isha bint abi Bakr (614-678, Saudi Arabia)

    Independent, bold wife of the Prophet Muhammad, she led armies in the Battle of the Camel and was one of the central figures of the Shia/Sunni civil war that continues to this day. (Note: this entry's image follows Islamic artistic conventions to depict its figures respectfully)

  8. Olga of Kiev (890-969, Ukraine) Art Notes

    Brutal princess-turned-Christian saint who burnt down enemy towns using pigeons.

  9. Agontime and the Dahomey Amazons (19th century, Dahomey/Benin) Cut Content

    The world's fiercest all-female fighting force, and the incredible tale of how they rescued their deposed queen from slavery in Brazil.

  10. Mata Hari (1876-1917, France)

    This amateur dancer escaped a life of abuse by pretending to be an Indonesian princess - and eventually became a victim of the maniacal world of espionage.

  11. Josephine Baker (1906-1975, France/United States) Cut ContentArt Notes

    Rose from dire poverty and violence to become the greatest black entertainer of all time - Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Angelina Jolie all rolled into one.

  12. Dhat al-Himma (8th century Arabian myth) Cut Content

    Sword-slinging Arabian heroine who stars as the heroine of an extremely long and entertaining epic tale.

  1. Alice B. Clement (1878-1926, United States) Cut ContentArt Notes

    Chicago detective whose crime-busting exploits grew so popular she had her own newspaper series and starred in her own movie.

  2. Amba/Sikhandi (Indian myth) Cut Content

    When this princess had her life ruined by an unstoppable warrior, she: became a fervent ascetic for years and got a divine boon; killed herself to reincarnate faster; came back as a man; and killed the man who'd wronged her, in the stunning climax of the world's longest epic poem.

  3. Khawlah bint al-Azwar (7th century, Syria/Jordan/Palestine) Art Notes

    When Byzantine forces capture her brother, this warrior poet donned the outfit of a black knight and went on a bloody rescue mission.

  4. Mary Baker aka Princess Caraboo (1791-1864, England) Cut Content

    This phony Asian royalty fooled rural England for some time - but the truth she was hiding was far darker.

  5. Anita Garibaldi (1821-1849, Brazil/Uruguay/Italy)

    This heroine of South America and Italy fought in numerous civil wars alongside her husband, Giuseppe Garibaldi, often while pregnant or while carrying her children.

  6. Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1929, England) Cut Content

    This unassuming middle-aged woman became one of Britain's most notorious terrorists in her unyielding quest to win women the right to vote.

  7. Marjana (Arabian myth) Art Notes

    The actual hero of the Ali Baba myth, this slave girl saves the titular character by singlehandedly dispatching the forty thieves - without him even knowing.

  8. Hortense Mancini (1646-1699, France/Italy/England)

    One of the most infamous libertines of the Renaissance, she cavorted all over Europe to flee her abusive marriage, lived a hedonistic life, and wrote memoirs under her own name - all in an attempt to win herself a divorce.

  9. Marie Mancini (1639-1715, France/Italy/Spain)

    Joined her sister Hortense Mancini in escaping from an equally abusive marriage, making headlines (and trouble) all across Europe in the process.

  10. Jezebel (9th century BCE, Israel) Art Notes

    Roundly-despised and unfairly-maligned seductress of the bible who ran afoul of the wrong priests.

  11. Qiu Jin (1875-1907, China) Cut Content

    Revolutionary who martyred herself to help rid China of the Qing dynasty.

  12. Yoshiko Kawashima (1907-1948, China/Japan)

    Bisexual cross-dressing spy princess of the Qing dynasty - a hero to some and unspeakable villain to others.

  13. Joan of Arc (1412-1431, France)

    The infamous teen girl who helped end the Hundred Years War and save France - but do you know how she got to such prominence? This book has an answer, and it involves another powerful woman, operating behind the scenes...

  1. The Night Witches (c.1940, Russia) Cut ContentArt Notes

    This all-female civilian volunteer unit of the WW2 Soviet military overcame a lack of training, equipment, and faith to pull off one of the greatest underdog feats in human history and in so doing become Germany's worst nightmare.

  2. Kharboucha (19th century Moroccan legend) Art Notes

    This legendary pockmarked poet sang truth to power and was killed for it, becoming an enduring symbol of resistance.

  3. Marguerite de la Rocque (mid-16th century, Canada/France) Art Notes

    Stranded by her cruel relative on an abandoned Canadian island (literally named the Isle of Demons), she survived for two years by hunting animals and eventually made it back to France.

  4. Empress Myeongseong (1851-1895, Korea) Cut ContentArt Notes

    Picked to be an impotent figurehead, this savvy intellectual quickly learned how to play politics and modernized the nation to ward off invasion.

  5. Micaela Bastidas (1741-1781, Peru/Bolivia) Cut Content

    The strident partner of the eponymously-named Tupac Amaru Rebellion of native peoples against the Spanish, she handled army and bureaucratic logistics with an unmatched efficiency.

  6. Neerja Bhanot (1963-1986, India) Art Notes

    When hijackers boarded her plane, this 23-year-old flight attendant gave her life to save the lives of hundreds.

  7. Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653, Italy)

    One of the greatest painters of the baroque, she revenged herself on her rapist both in the court of law and in her powerful, grotesque, incredibly popular paintings that depicted his gruesome death.

  8. Caterina Sforza (1463-1509, Italy) Art Notes

    The illegitimate and widowed child of a minor noble, she became one of the most powerful and outrageous women in Italy, commanding troops, insulting Machiavelli, and fighting Cesare Borgia with unmatched ferocity.

  9. Arawelo (c.15 CE, Somalia)

    Somalia's ballsiest queen, she took power from men either figuratively or literally - by ordering much of the gender castrated. Hero or villain, depending on who's doing the telling, she remains one of Africa's most divisive figures.

  10. Malinche (c.1496-1529, Mexico/Aztec Empire)

    Sold into sexual slavery to Hernan Cortes, this maligned woman became his interpreter, and it was with her words that the Aztec Empire fell.

  11. Phoolan Devi (1963-2001, India)

    Born into the lowest rung of the caste system, this woman put decades of horrific abuse to an end by starting a bandit gang, laying waste to those who preyed on the less-fortunate, and getting a reputation as an incarnation of the goddess of destruction. After she gave herself up and spent some time in prison, she got out, ran for parliament, and won.

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