History That's More Than 2-Dimensional.

Content Warning: None

Isabelle Eberhardt (1877-1904)

The Undefinable Adventurer

This undefinable adventurer's life burnt bright but short: a wildcard of the Algerian revolution, she survived an assassination attempt by sabre, and died in a freak desert flood.

Tamar of Georgia (1160-1213)

Holy Righteous King of Georgia

Saint, sovereign, and fiercely independent woman, she quashed two rebellions from her ex-husband, expanded her nation's borders, and ushered in a golden age.

Viśpálā (12th? century BCE)

Warrior Queen of the Rig Veda

The first prosthetic limb in human civilization went to this ancient warrior queen. Or did it? The story is more complex than you might think.

Tsuruhime Ohori (1526-1543)

The Savior of Omishima Island

When invaders threatened her island home, she declared herself a living god, raised an army, and fought them tooth, nail, and occasional grenade.

Onake Obavva (c.1750 - 1777)

South Indian Whack-a-Mole Champion, 1777-present

When enemies invaded her town while her husband was on lunch break, she grabbed a nearby pestle and saved the day by achieving the high score in soldier whack-a-mole.

Charlotte Badger (1778-?)

Convict, Pirate, Adopted Maori, Mom

The first European woman to end up in New Zealand, Charlotte Badger was part pirate, part adopted Maori, and part mom. Which part is which is somewhat lost to history.

The strongest, strangest Inuit woman ever

An Inuit woman so strong nobody could even beat her lice in arm-wrestling, her story just gets stranger the closer you look.

Masako Hojo (1157-1225)

When her shogun husband cheated on her, she raised an army and destroyed the other woman's house. Later she deposed her incompetent son to become the first nun to rule Japan.

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.

Hester Stanhope (1776-1839)

The Desert Queen

100 years before Lawrence of Arabia, this British woman traveled the Middle East by herself, surviving shipwrecks, plagues, and Bedouin attacks in the process.