History That's More Than 2-Dimensional.

Story: Up-and-Down

Isabel Godin des Odonais (1728-1792)

The Woman Who Lived

To reunite with her husband, she went on a months-long trek through the jungle -- and was the only survivor.

Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958)

The Overlooked Discoverer of DNA

The three men who accepted the Nobel Prize for "the most important scientific discovery of the 20th century" neglected to mention one thing: they owed much of their success to one brash, brilliant, and overlooked female scientist.

Stephanie St. Clair (1897-1969)

Harlem's Queen of Numbers

This audacious black gangster fought the Italian mob for control of Harlem and won, taunting them in full-page newspaper ads as she went.

Zenobia (240-?)

Syria's Rebel Queen

3rd century Rome had a major woman problem. Her name was Zenobia, and she took over a huge chunk of their empire in her brief and tumultuous career as rebel queen.

The Weeping Ghost of Latin America's Past

Mexico's infamous "weeping ghost" has many incarnations: a jilted widow, a slave princess, a milk addict, a coffee bag, and a pair of panties.

October 9, 2015 in Modern Worthies

Ruth Coker Burks

The Cemetery Angel

In 1984, when nurses would draw straws to avoid entering the room of a patient with AIDS, and pharmacies would refuse to keep the pens of someone who worked with people with AIDS, she cared for hundreds of them with compassion and love.

Constance Markievicz (1868-1927)

The Countess Who Rebelled

Socialite turned sniper turned socialist politician - Ireland's first woman elected to office had quite a life.

Mekatilili wa Menza (c.1860-c.1925)

The widow who beat the British through ecstatic dance

When colonial powers went too far, she rebelled in the most stylish way possible: dancing from town to town. It was surprisingly effective.

Sonya Golden Hand (1846ish - 1902ish CE)

Russia's Princess of Crime

Russia's greatest female thief was so slippery that even once she was re-captured after escaping from a Siberian prison, nobody was totally sure it was her.

Manuela Sáenz (1797-1859)

The Liberator of the Liberator

This revolutionary heroine of South America kept a pet bear, a disembodied moustache, and a lifestyle that defied every convention possible.