When you hear the phrase “10 amazing women,” you might picture athletes, artists, or scientists. In this case, we’re talking about a remarkable group of heroines who threw themselves into the maelstrom of World War II to outwit, sabotage, and rescue people from the Nazis. Their courage, ingenuity, and unshakable resolve turned the tide in countless hidden ways. Below you’ll find a countdown of the ten most extraordinary women who stood up to the regime, each with a story that reads like a thriller yet is rooted in real history.

10 Amazing Women Who Stood Up to the Nazis

10 Irena Sendler

Irena Sendler’s acts of heroism lay dormant in the shadows of history until a quartet of Kansas high‑school seniors dug her up for a school project in the year 2000. Born to a Polish Catholic family, her surgeon father taught her to view Jewish people as fellow humans. When the Wehrmacht rolled into Poland in 1939, Irena was employed by the Warsaw Social Welfare Department, a municipal office tasked with feeding and sheltering the city’s most vulnerable.

Motivated by a fierce sense of justice, she launched a covert operation to funnel food, medicine, and money to Jews—an activity that was strictly forbidden under Nazi law. To keep the authorities at bay, she registered the recipients under Christian aliases and warned the Gestapo that the aid was a vector for a deadly typhus outbreak. While the Jews lived under these fabricated identities, Irena safeguarded their true names in jars that she buried beneath an apple tree in a neighbor’s garden.

When the Warsaw Ghetto was sealed, death by starvation and disease claimed roughly 5,000 lives each month. Disguised as a nurse, Irena slipped into the ghetto daily, persuading desperate parents to let her smuggle their children out. She is credited with rescuing 2,500 youngsters, ferrying them out in wheel‑barrows of clothing, in a man’s toolbox, inside coffins, and even tucked into burlap sacks of potatoes.

On 20 October 1943 the Gestapo finally cracked her operation and dragged her to a prison where they beat her feet and legs until every bone was shattered. Despite the torture, Irena never revealed a single name. Though sentenced to death, a bribe secured her release, and she spent the remainder of the war in hiding, later retrieving the jars that held the children’s true identities.

Just a year before her passing, Irena was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, a testament to the lasting impact of her selfless deeds.

9 Madeleine Fourcade

When Nazi forces swept into France, Marie‑Madeleine Fourcade was a modest secretary at a publishing house. Undeterred, she co‑founded the clandestine resistance network known as “the Alliance,” nicknamed “Noah’s Ark” because each operative adopted an animal codename—Fourcade herself became “the Hedgehog.” The Alliance’s mission centered on gathering intelligence for the British, and after the founder’s capture, Fourcade assumed command.

Under her leadership, the Alliance mapped German fortifications along the Normandy coastline, furnishing the Allies with crucial intel ahead of D‑Day. Operatives lived under a constant threat of capture and torture. Fourcade herself was seized twice: first in November 1942 after a double‑agent betrayed her, prompting a daring escape to Switzerland and then to Britain; later, she returned to occupied France to direct sabotage efforts before being arrested again, only to escape once more and survive the war.

8 Stefania Podgorska

Stefania Podgorska entered the world in a modest village in southeastern Poland in 1923. At fourteen she moved to Przemyśl, taking a job with a Jewish grocer family. When the Nazis invaded, her mother and brother were shipped to a German labor camp, while her Jewish employers were forced into the ghetto, leaving Stefania to care for her six‑year‑old sister.

In 1942, as the Nazis began liquidating the Przemyśl ghetto, Joe Diamant—son of her former grocer—escaped a transport train and sought refuge in Stefania’s attic. She agreed, and soon a modest group of Jews, eventually numbering thirteen, found sanctuary in the Podgorska household. To accommodate them, Stefania moved into a nearby two‑bedroom cottage and helped Joe construct a false wall in the attic to conceal their hiding place.Two years later, a German officer demanded that the sisters vacate their home within two hours. The Jews hidden above urged them to flee, but after a prayer, Stefania claimed to hear a woman’s voice urging her to stay. She resolved to remain, fully aware of the danger to herself and her sister. The officer returned, cheerfully announcing he only needed one room, and remained in the building for seven months, never suspecting that thirteen lives were being sheltered just above his head.

Life persisted in this precarious balance until the town was liberated on 27 July 1944. Stefania never abandoned those she was protecting, and she later married Joe the following year.

7 Halina Szymanska

Before the war, Halina Szymanska’s husband, Colonel Antoni Szymanski, served as Poland’s final military attaché in Berlin. It was there that the couple encountered Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, the head of German military intelligence, who, horrified by Nazi atrocities, assisted Halina, her children, and her husband in escaping to neutral Switzerland. Unfortunately, Antoni was later captured when Soviet forces seized Lviv.

Canaris, a staunch opponent of Hitler, had been plotting against the Nazi regime for years. After the German defeat at Stalingrad, he intensified his plans to overthrow the entire party and imprison Hitler. Throughout the conflict, he employed Halina as a liaison with the British, coordinating attacks against the Nazis. She met Canaris repeatedly in Switzerland and Italy, and in 1941 she personally transmitted crucial intelligence that the Germans were preparing to invade the Soviet Union.

Later, Canaris informed her that the invasion was stalling against fierce Soviet resistance. Halina also collaborated with Allen Dulles—who would later become the CIA’s first director—and German officer Hans Gisevius, a conspirator in the July 20 plot against Hitler. Throughout her career, Halina preferred to describe her activities as “calculated indiscretion” rather than outright espionage.

6 Countess Andree de Jongh

Andrée de Jongh, a well‑educated Belgian nurse, joined the Red Cross when the Germans overran Belgium. Determined to aid Allied soldiers wherever possible, she risked SS arrest by providing medical care to stranded troops. In Brussels, she connected with a network of sympathizers and forged an underground railroad—later known as the Comet Line—that guided soldiers from occupied Belgium through France and over the Pyrenees into Spain.

The Comet Line’s early attempts saw eleven British soldiers captured by Spanish authorities, with nine returned to German POW camps. Outraged, Andrée personally led the next escape, shepherding three soldiers safely to the British consulate in Bilbao. Impressed by her success, MI9—a British intelligence branch focused on rescuing personnel behind enemy lines—supplied her with resources and contacts. Over the next two years, she personally led 33 daring expeditions, repatriating more than 400 men.

In January 1943, the Gestapo captured Andrée and subjected her to brutal torture. Though she eventually confessed, the Nazis could not fathom that a single woman could orchestrate such feats, and they opted against execution. She survived the war, enduring imprisonment in both Ravensbrück and Mauthausen concentration camps until liberation.

5 Lisa Fittko

Born Erzsébet Eckstein in Ungvár, Ukraine, near the Hungarian border, Lisa Fittko’s family moved to Berlin when she was a child. In 1933, her parents fled Hitler’s Germany, but Lisa chose to stay behind, joining the resistance by printing anti‑Nazi leaflets in the back room of a candy shop while Verdi’s Aida blared to mask the noise. Her refusal to salute Hitler at a rally landed her on the Gestapo’s proscription list—a mishap she later described as a momentary lapse in concentration rather than a political statement.

Escaping to Prague, she continued her propaganda work, marrying fellow rebel Hans Fittko. The couple’s relentless evasion of the Gestapo took them from Zurich to Amsterdam, all the while smuggling anti‑Nazi literature into Germany. By 1939 they had reached Paris, where the French interned thousands of Germans and Austrians, including the Fittkos, in hastily constructed camps.

Near the Spanish border, the Fittkos began forging documents to facilitate escape. When Germany invaded France, they could have fled to Spain, but they chose to remain in occupied France to rescue as many as possible. Lisa personally blazed a trail through the Pyrenees, nearly losing her way on the first attempt. Their route eventually saved hundreds. American humanitarian Varian Fry, a Harvard professor, collaborated with the Fittkos, helping them rescue even more refugees. The escalating Nazi scrutiny forced the United States to extract Fry to preserve diplomatic ties, after which he escorted the Fittkos to a ship bound for Cuba in November 1941.

4 Monica Wichfeld

Monica Massy‑Beresford, born in London and raised in Ireland, married Danish officer Jørgen de Wichfeld in 1914. When the Nazis invaded Denmark in 1940, Monica’s fury sparked her enlistment in the Danish resistance, where she helped harass the Wehrmacht through protests, clandestine propaganda, and intelligence gathering. She raised funds to establish a clandestine press that churned out anti‑Nazi literature and relayed vital information about German troop numbers and armaments to London.

By late 1943, the resistance’s sabotage campaign had intensified to the point where the Nazis seized control of the Danish government to hunt down resistance members. On 1 October 1943, Hitler ordered the arrest and deportation of all Danish Jews. The resistance, forewarned, rushed to evacuate Jews to Sweden, rescuing roughly 7,800. Around 500 were captured and sent to the Theresienstadt labor camp, where disease, malnutrition, and executions claimed many lives; about 400 survived.

In May 1944, Monica was betrayed by a fellow resistance operative. Refusing to betray her comrades, she was sentenced to death. Because no woman had been executed in Denmark for centuries, public outcry forced the Nazis to imprison her instead. She later died of pneumonia on 27 February 1945.

3 Magda Trocme

From the 1940 French conquest until liberation, Magda Trocme and her husband, Protestant pastor André Trocme, rallied local religious leaders in the town of Le Chambon‑sur‑Lignon to shelter Jews fleeing Nazi persecution. Between 1940 and 1944, roughly 5,000 Jews passed through the town, shielded by a network of safe‑houses, churches, and charitable donations from both Jewish and Christian groups.

Magda was the first to open her doors when a woman knocked during a snowstorm, seeking refuge. When André was arrested in February 1943, Magda assumed responsibility for securing food, medicine, clothing, and shelter for the growing number of refugees. André was released a month later; the couple immediately went into hiding together, continuing to oversee the protection of Jewish fugitives.

2 Sophie Scholl

Sophie Scholl grew up in southern Germany, where the Nuremberg Laws of 1935 took hold when she was just fourteen. A devout Lutheran, she could not reconcile the Nazi hatred for non‑Aryans, especially after being reprimanded for reading banned works by Jewish author Heinrich Heine. In 1937, her brothers were imprisoned for belonging to the German Youth Movement, an organization that openly opposed Nazism.

After completing six months of compulsory National Labor Service, Sophie enrolled at the University of Munich in 1942, where she joined the White Rose—a student‑led resistance group that championed non‑violent non‑cooperation with the Nazi regime. That same year, her father was jailed for calling Hitler “the scourge of God,” a moniker historically applied to Attila the Hun.

Between late 1942 and early 1943, the White Rose produced six anti‑war leaflets and distributed them across Munich. The Gestapo’s tight surveillance soon traced the pamphlets back to the university. On 18 February 1943—just days after the German Sixth Army fell at Stalingrad—Sophie and her brother Hans were arrested, interrogated, and brutally beaten; Sophie’s leg was broken.

She was hauled before the notorious People’s Court, presided over by Roland Freisler, who was infamous for his vitriolic tirades. Deprived of legal counsel and witnesses, Sophie faced a swift guillotine sentence. In her final moments, she declared, “Somebody, after all, had to make a start…” and “How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause?” She was executed, but her words inspired countless others to resist.

1 Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya

Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya was a bright high‑school student in Moscow when Germany launched Operation Barbarossa in 1941. Volunteering for a partisan unit—Partisan 9903—she joined a guerrilla force tasked with sabotaging German supply lines in occupied Belarus, planting mines, and destroying telegraph and telephone poles.

On 27 November 1941, her squad was ordered to burn the village of Petrisheva. After the leader was captured and killed, the unit withdrew. Undeterred, Zoya re‑entered Petrisheva alone two nights later, only to be betrayed by a local and captured. The Nazis subjected her to relentless torture throughout the night, until a German officer, unable to endure her screams, abandoned the interrogation.

Zoya refused to disclose her true identity or any useful intelligence. The next morning, the Germans paraded her through the village with a sign labeling her an “arsonist.” Before being hanged, she is reported to have proclaimed, “You may hang me now but I am not alone. There are 200 million of us. You won’t hang everybody. I shall be avenged. Soldiers! Surrender before it is too late. Victory will be ours.” In February 1942, she was posthumously declared a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Welcome to our celebration of the top 10 women athletes whose brilliance has propelled their sports into the global spotlight. These trailblazers have shattered ceilings, inspired legions of fans, and turned niche pastimes into worldwide phenomena.

Why These Top 10 Women Athletes Inspire Millions

Each of these icons not only dominated their discipline but also used their platforms to push for greater visibility, equality, and opportunity for future generations. Their stories are as electrifying as their on‑field feats, and together they form a mosaic of perseverance, talent, and cultural impact.

10 Mia Hamm (USA): Soccer

Picture the 1990s, when women’s soccer was still finding its footing, and a dynamo named Mia Hamm stormed onto the pitch, reshaping the game forever. More than a mere player, Hamm became a cultural beacon who thrust women’s soccer into prime‑time conversation.

Her meteoric rise was fueled by blistering footwork and a sniper’s precision, captivating audiences across the globe. Yet it wasn’t just her technical wizardry that set her apart—her relentless passion and unwavering dedication turned every match into a showcase of possibility.As Hamm’s star ascended, she embodied female empowerment, offering young girls a vivid blueprint for success in a traditionally male‑dominated arena. The tally of her triumphs reads like a fairy‑tale: two Olympic gold medals and two World Cup crowns, cementing her status as an all‑time legend.

Beyond the glittering trophy cabinet, Hamm leveraged her fame to champion equal treatment for women’s sports, demanding recognition and resources. Her advocacy helped carve a clearer path for the next wave of female athletes eager to chase their own dreams.

9 Sonja Henie (Norway): Figure Skating

During the roaring twenties and thirties, figure skating was a niche pastime for a select audience—until Sonja Henie twirled onto the scene and dazzled spectators with unrivaled flair. She didn’t merely win; she owned the competition, turning every routine into a theatrical masterpiece.

What truly set Henie apart was her daring blend of athleticism and showmanship. She refused to be confined to jumps and spins, instead weaving music and dance into her programs, forging a captivating fusion of sport and art.

Her innovative approach transformed figure skating from a specialist’s hobby into a must‑see spectacle for the masses. Audiences packed arenas, and the sport’s popularity surged like never before, thanks to Sonja’s magnetic presence.

Henie also paved the way for skaters to become genuine celebrities, crossing over to Hollywood and amassing three Olympic gold medals, forever altering the sport’s cultural footprint.

8 Kim Yeon‑koung (South Korea): Volleyball

Born in 1988, Kim Yeon‑koung discovered volleyball early and quickly displayed a natural gift for the game. By 2005 she had earned a spot on the Korean national team, where she has remained a cornerstone ever since.

Over the years, Kim emerged as one of the sport’s most dominant forces, famed for her thunderous power, pinpoint precision, and cat‑like agility. Her on‑court accolades are numerous, reflecting a career built on relentless excellence.

Off the court, Kim’s humility, work ethic, and devotion to her teammates have won her adoration worldwide. Fans admire both her athletic brilliance and her gracious character, cementing her status as a true global icon.

Kim’s meteoric success has propelled volleyball into the limelight, drawing fans, merchandise sales, and social‑media buzz across continents. She has inspired a fresh generation of athletes—both in Korea and beyond—to embrace the sport’s excitement.

7 Billie Jean King (USA): Tennis

Billie Jean King is virtually synonymous with tennis greatness, and for good reason. Her résumé boasts a staggering 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles crowns, and she was instrumental in founding the Women’s Tennis Association, giving female players a unified voice.

The most iconic moment of her career unfolded in 1973, when she faced Bobby Riggs in the legendary “Battle of the Sexes.” Riggs, a former men’s champion, had been trash‑talking women’s tennis, claiming he could beat any female player—even at 55.

King accepted the challenge, and on September 20, 1973, she defeated Riggs in straight sets. The match, viewed by an estimated 90 million people worldwide, cemented King’s place as a feminist icon and a trailblazer for women’s sport.

Even today, King’s influence reverberates throughout tennis and beyond. She continues to champion gender equality, inspiring athletes everywhere to fight for fairness and recognition.

6 Oksana Chusovitina (Uzbekistan): Gymnastics

Oksana Chusovitina, hailing from Uzbekistan, boasts a career that reads like a gymnastics saga. Competing internationally since 1990, she has represented the Soviet Union, Germany, and finally her native Uzbekistan, showcasing unparalleled longevity.

What truly distinguishes Chusovitina is her age. At 46, she still competes at an elite level, turning the notion of a gymnast’s shelf life on its head and becoming a living legend.Her enduring presence has shone a spotlight on gymnastics, inspiring countless newcomers to take up the sport, especially in nations where it previously garnered little attention.

Chusovitina’s achievements are monumental: seven Olympic appearances, nine medals, three world‑championship titles, and numerous international victories—all while balancing family life and raising a son.

5 Diana Taurasi (USA): Basketball

Diana Taurasi stands as a towering figure in women’s basketball, redefining the game and breaking gender barriers to become a beacon of empowerment for aspiring athletes worldwide.

Her ascent began at the University of Connecticut, where she helped the Huskies secure three consecutive NCAA championships, showcasing unmatched skill and fierce determination.

In the professional arena, Taurasi became the cornerstone of the Phoenix Mercury, revolutionizing the sport with her lethal three‑point shooting and visionary court sense, turning her into an offensive juggernaut.

Her electrifying style drew crowds to arenas and television screens alike, shattering records, capturing multiple WNBA titles, and becoming the league’s all‑time leading scorer—fueling a generation of girls to dream big.

4 Stafanie Taylor (Jamaica): Cricket

Stafanie Taylor’s rise from a modest Jamaican village to cricket stardom has elevated women’s cricket onto the global stage. Her early talent caught eyes, and she quickly surged through the ranks with relentless drive.

As a versatile all‑rounder, Taylor dominates both bat and ball, captivating fans worldwide with her flair, finesse, and unstoppable work ethic.

Her record‑breaking performances in domestic and international tournaments have earned her accolades as one of the premier athletes of her era, while her captaincy of the West Indies women’s team showcases her leadership.

Beyond the boundary, Taylor has championed gender equality, using her platform to empower women through sport and bridge the gap between men’s and women’s cricket.

3 Wilma Rudolph (USA): Sprinting

Wilma Rudolph’s story shines brightly in sports history—a testament to triumph over adversity. Born June 23, 1940, in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee, she overcame childhood polio that left her temporarily paralyzed.

Through grueling therapy and unyielding determination, Rudolph defied the odds, regaining mobility and sprinting toward greatness.

At the 1960 Rome Olympics, she captured three gold medals—in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 × 100 m relay—captivating the world and becoming a symbol of perseverance.

2 Karine Ruby (France): Snowboarding

Karine Ruby burst onto the snow‑boarding world at the 1998 Winter Olympics, seizing the inaugural women’s gold medal and instantly becoming an icon.

Her magnetic charisma and superb skill sparked an unprecedented surge in snow‑boarding interest, especially among young women eager to emulate her success.

Ruby’s dominance across slalom, giant slalom, and parallel giant slalom cemented her legacy, propelling snow‑boarding into major winter competitions and boosting global media coverage.

Tragically, her life ended in a mountaineering accident on May 29, 2009, but her indomitable spirit continues to inspire snowboarders worldwide.

1 Kathy Whitworth (USA): Golf

During the 1960s and ’70s, professional golf was largely a male domain, offering few avenues for women. Kathy Whitworth’s arrival marked a seismic shift. With a powerful swing and steely resolve, she began shattering records.

Whitworth’s four‑decade career amassed an unrivaled 88 LPGA Tour victories—a record that still stands—earning her respect from peers and solidifying her as a trailblazer.

Beyond her trophy haul, she tirelessly promoted women’s golf, advocating for more tournaments, better facilities, and greater media exposure, laying a foundation for future generations.

Early in 2014, the UK defence secretary suggested that women be permitted to fight on the front lines. Such proposals have always sparked needless debate. Yet people often overlook the fact that, across the ages, women have excelled as soldiers and spies for their nations.

10Roza Shanina
World War II

Born to a logger family in Russia’s Arkhangelsk Oblast, Roza Shanina showed ambition early. In 1938 she fled home, trekking 200 km (125 mi) to the nearest town to enroll in the best school she could find.

By 1941 she worked in a nursery to fund university studies, but that same year her brother fell in battle, prompting Roza to take his place. Her training revealed exceptional marksmanship; even when offered an instructor post at the Women’s Sniper Academy, she demanded front‑line duty, earning the nickname “Unseen Terror of East Prussia” and becoming the first female sniper awarded the Order of Glory.

During the 1945 East Prussian Offensive her platoon dwindled to six men, and Roza fell protecting the artillery commander. By then her confirmed kills stood at 59. Her diary, still largely classified, was published in 1965 to great acclaim.

9Edith Cavell
World War I

Edith Cavell served as a Red Cross nurse in wartime Brussels. Shocked by the devastation around her, she resolved to help as many soldiers as possible escape the German‑occupied city. Working with colleagues, she smuggled over 200 Allied troops to the neutral Netherlands, sheltering them in her hospital and labeling them as injured patients. Her partner, Prince Reginald De Croy, supplied forged documents and money to guide the men to the Dutch border.

Cavell’s outspoken nature attracted German suspicion. Eventually a French spy named Gaston Quien, acting for the Germans, betrayed her. She was arrested, tried for aiding the enemy, and sentenced to death. The Germans executed her by firing squad.

8Ginnie and Lottie Moon
American Civil War

Ginnie and Lottie Moon were Confederate spies hailing from Ohio. Their striking looks made them popular, and they dreamed of acting careers. Lottie famously jilted Indiana native Ambrose Burnside—later a Union general—at the altar and later married Judge James Clark. Ginnie, after being expelled from school, lived with her older sister and the Clark family, who were deeply involved with the secretive Knights of the Golden Circle.

One night a messenger arrived with a letter destined for General Edmund Kirby Smith. Lottie volunteered, slipping into an old‑woman disguise using her theatrical skills, and successfully delivered the missive. The mission earned her counterfeit British papers and a health‑pass that let her travel to Virginia.

Ginnie relocated to Tennessee to tend to her ailing mother and cared for soldiers before undertaking a courier run for the Knights of the Golden Circle. She was captured, placed under house arrest alongside Lottie, and remained confined for the rest of the war.

7Emily Geiger
American War Of Independence

Emily Geiger, born in 1765 in South Carolina to Swiss‑descended parents, saw her father John fall ill as the Revolution erupted, leaving him unable to fight. Determined to contribute, she volunteered to carry a secret dispatch from General Nathaniel Greene to Thomas Sumter behind enemy lines. Greene not only handed her the letter but also memorized its contents so she could recount it verbally if needed.

The next day Emily set out on horseback, telling anyone she met that she was merely visiting her Uncle Jacob. When British scouts under Lord Rawdon intercepted her, her nervousness betrayed her, and she blushed uncontrollably.

Before being taken prisoner, Emily swallowed the sealed message. After a brief incarceration she was escorted to her uncle’s house, where she recited the contents aloud, successfully delivering Greene’s intelligence.

6Marie Marvingt
World War I

Marie Marvingt grew up in Aurillac, France, and by her thirties had become a world‑class athlete, winning accolades in skiing, skating, swimming, fencing and cycling. In 1910 she turned to mountaineering, becoming the first woman to summit several French and Swiss Alpine peaks, notably racing across the Aiguille des Grands Charmoz and the Grepon Pass in a single day.

Even before the Great War, she claimed victory in an international military shooting contest. Her passion for flight later led her to enlist disguised as a man, first serving as an infantryman and then piloting bomber missions—she was the first woman to do so.

During the conflict she also served as a Red Cross nurse and later pioneered air‑ambulance technology, adding metal skis for operations in Morocco and Algeria. Her innovations earned her medals from both France and Morocco.

5Constance Markievicz
Irish War Of Independence

Countess Constance Markievicz, a trailblazing Irish politician, was among the first women worldwide to hold a cabinet post. Yet it was her role in the Irish War of Independence that cemented her fame. As a Sinn Féin activist she played a pivotal part in the 1916 Easter Rising, even writing an anthem inspired by a Polish folk tune.

On the battlefield she served as second‑in‑command at St. Stephen’s Green, overseeing the construction of the barricades. Her unit proved highly effective, holding out for six days before surrendering. In 1922, during the Irish Civil War, she fought for the Republicans, defending Moran’s Hotel in Dublin.

Markievicz died shortly after taking her seat in the inaugural Dáil Éireann, with thousands lining the streets to honor her legacy.

4Maria Gertrudis Bocanegra
Mexican War Of Independence

Born in 1765 to a prosperous Spanish family in Michoacán, Maria Gertrudis Bocanegra married Lieutenant Pedro Advicula de la Vega. Despite limited educational opportunities for women, she was well‑read in Enlightenment literature. When Mexico’s fight for independence ignited, Maria threw herself behind the cause, supporting her husband’s military efforts.

She began by acting as a messenger for insurgents, a crucial role for guerrilla communications, and also supplied resources and lodging for fighters. Tragically, both her husband and son perished serving under Miguel Costilla. Later, after being dispatched to the fiercely contested town of Pátzcuaro, she was betrayed by informants and captured.

Maria spent most of 1817 imprisoned, enduring torture aimed at extracting information about fellow rebels, yet she never cooperated. In October she was convicted of treason and executed by firing squad, delivering an inspiring speech just before her death.

3Jeanie ‘Jenny’ Cameron
Jacobite Wars

Many women aided the Jacobite risings, but Jeanie ‘Jenny’ Cameron stands out. Hailing from Edinburgh, she fought alongside Bonnie Prince Charlie and became so celebrated that a biography was published in 1746—though it may blend stories of up to three different women sharing her name.

After a turbulent schooling and inheriting a sizable estate from her father, Jenny raised 250 men from her lands and rode them to join the Prince. She remained with him until their defeat at Stirling Castle, after which she was imprisoned with the captured troops in Edinburgh Castle. She secured bail after nine months.

What happened next remains debated: some claim she became Prince Charles Stuart’s mistress and intelligence source; others suggest she married an Irishman and settled in Ireland, while another theory posits she spent her remaining years as a destitute outcast.

2Agostina Domenech
Peninsular War

Agostina Domenech, also known as Agustina de Aragon, captured the imagination of the era so much that Lord Byron penned a poem about her. Born in 1786, she defended Spain during the Peninsular War against Napoleon’s forces, residing in Zaragoza, a city swamped with refugees and among the last to fall.

In June 1808, as French troops clashed with Spanish defenders outside the city gates, the Spaniards suffered heavy losses. While initially serving only to hand out apples to soldiers, Agostina seized a cannon, fired it herself, and slew a line of French soldiers. Her daring act inspired hundreds of civilians and fleeing soldiers to re‑engage, forcing the French to retreat, though Zaragoza eventually surrendered.

1Flora Sandes
World War I

Flora Sandes holds the unique distinction of being the only woman to serve officially as a soldier in World War I. Born in Yorkshire, England, she grew up riding horses and shooting, later lamenting the “misfortune to be born a woman.” Undeterred, she earned one of the first women’s driver’s licences in 1908. When the war erupted, she trained as a nurse but was rejected by the Red Cross due to her age.

Undaunted, Sandes traveled to Serbia with a group of women, where she performed surgery and managed a military hospital. Her Serbian comrades soon recognized her talents and enlisted her as a private in the Serbian army. She fought on the front lines, quickly rising to captain and commanding the Serbian “Iron Regiment.”

She displayed conspicuous bravery during a surprise attack in Macedonia, earning Serbia’s highest military honour. Though wounded in that battle, the injury lingered throughout her life. Remarkably, at age 65 she volunteered again to fight for Serbia in World II.

When you think of “10 incredible things” accomplished by women, the first images that spring to mind are often those of trailblazers who broke the glass ceiling in plain sight. Yet there exists a hidden cadre of heroines who, denied a place on the public stage, slipped into men’s clothing, adopted male aliases, and performed feats that would have been impossible for a woman to claim openly. Below, we celebrate ten astonishing achievements by women who masqueraded as men, each story a testament to ingenuity, courage, and the relentless drive to be recognized for talent rather than gender.

10 Incredible Things Unveiled

10. Rena Kanokogi: The Woman Who Won A Male Judo Competition

From the moment she first stepped onto a mat in Brooklyn, Rena Kanokogi (born Glickman) was obsessed with mastering judo. She trained with a ferocity that would later earn her the nickname “the mother of women’s judo,” refusing to accept the notion that a woman could not excel in a sport dominated by men.

The obstacle she faced was stark: during the 1950s, no reputable judo tournaments welcomed female competitors, and the few events that did existed were far from the high‑stakes contests she craved. Undeterred, Rena entered the 1959 New York State YMCA Judo Championship, a competition that explicitly barred women from participation.

The judges justified the exclusion by claiming women were too delicate and weak to face male opponents. Rena, however, not only proved herself an equal but demonstrated superiority, defeating every male adversary she met and hoisting the gold medal around her neck.

When the officials finally suspected her true identity and confronted her, she confessed honestly. Rather than contesting the decision, she willingly surrendered the medal, believing that revealing the truth would lay the groundwork for a lasting, legitimate place for women in judo—a cause she valued far more than personal accolades.

Later, Rena coached the United States women’s judo team at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and, in a historic milestone, became the first woman ever to attain a seventh‑degree black belt. She passed away in 2009 at the age of 74, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire generations of martial artists.

9. Dr. James Barry: The First Doctor To Perform A Successful C‑Section

Born Margaret Ann Bulky in 1789 Ireland, she entered a world where women were strictly forbidden from receiving any formal medical education. When her family fell into dire financial straits, the young Margaret made a daring decision: she assumed the identity of her uncle, James Barry, and enrolled in a medical school under his name.

To maintain the ruse, Barry adopted a series of eccentric habits—donning a heavy overcoat even in sweltering weather, speaking with a deliberately deep, resonant voice, and inserting three‑inch platforms into his shoes. Despite the obvious affectations, his academic performance was stellar, and his instructors turned a blind eye to lingering doubts about his gender.

By the age of twenty‑two, Barry had secured a position as an assistant surgeon in the British Army, and by 1857 he rose to the rank of inspector general, overseeing all military hospitals. Among his many achievements, he performed the first recorded caesarean section in which both mother and child survived, a monumental breakthrough whose exact geographic claim (whether in Africa or within the broader British Empire) remains debated among historians.

In his final wishes, Barry requested that his body be interred in the clothes he died wearing, without the customary washing. When a nurse prepared the corpse for burial, she made the startling discovery that the celebrated surgeon was, in fact, a woman—a revelation that shocked the medical community and underscored the lengths to which she had gone to practice her calling.

8. Khawlah Bint Al‑Azwar: The Woman Who Led The Muslim Army Against The Byzantine Empire

During the seventh‑century Muslim campaigns against the Byzantine Empire, a spirited young woman named Khawlah bint al‑Azwar accompanied her brother, the seasoned commander Dhiraar ibn al‑Azwar, to the front lines. Initially serving as a battlefield nurse, she tended to wounded soldiers, ensuring that the men she cared for could return to combat.

When the Siege of Damascus resulted in her brother’s capture, Khawlah refused to accept his fate. She donned a suit of armor, concealed her face with a veil, and took his place among the fighting men, demonstrating a tenacity that would soon become legendary.

Her ferocious combat style impressed General Khalid ibn al‑Walid so profoundly that he summoned her for a private audience, acknowledging her as the hero of the engagement. The army was stunned when she finally revealed her true identity, but rather than expelling her, Khalid entrusted her with a critical rescue mission to free her brother.

Khawlah led a detachment of soldiers deep into Byzantine territory, successfully liberating her sibling and countless other prisoners of war. Her reputation continued to grow, and when she was later captured by the Byzantines and confined to a women’s prison, she orchestrated a daring jailbreak—arming fellow inmates with makeshift weapons and leaving thirty Byzantine guards dead, while freeing the captive women.

7. Agnodice: The First Female Doctor Of Greece

Ancient Greece was notorious for its draconian view of women, relegating them to silence and subservience. A prevailing maxim declared, “The best reputation a woman can have is not to be spoken of.” In such an environment, the notion of a woman practicing medicine was deemed a blasphemous affront, punishable by death.

Defying this cultural taboo, a courageous woman named Agnodice resolved to pursue medical knowledge. She disguised herself as a man, enrolled in a medical apprenticeship, and soon distinguished herself as one of Athens’ most capable physicians, specializing in obstetrics and the care of women during childbirth.

Her burgeoning popularity incited the envy of male colleagues, who accused her of luring patients away through illicit means. The male doctors sued her, alleging sexual misconduct with her patients, and the court ordered her execution upon revealing her gender.

When Agnodice’s patients learned of her impending death, they rallied en masse to the courthouse, pleading for her clemency. One impassioned woman declared, “You are condemning the very person who discovered health for us!” Overwhelmed by the outcry, the judges relented, sparing her life and permitting her to continue her practice.

Her triumphant defense sparked a legal reform in Athens, opening the profession to women and cementing Agnodice’s place in history as the pioneer who shattered the gender barrier in Greek medicine.

6. One‑Eyed Charley: The First Woman To Vote In The United States

Born Charlotte Parkhurst in 1812, she later adopted the moniker One‑Eyed Charley after a brutal accident left her with a scarred, single eye. Embracing a life on the rugged frontier, Charley cut her hair, slipped into men’s attire, and cultivated a reputation as a hard‑drinking, quick‑drawn cowboy, earning fear and respect across the Wild West.

Unlike many on this list who disguised themselves solely for a specific occupation, Charley appears to have identified as a man for the entirety of his adult life, living openly as a male frontiersman. This genuine self‑identification made his later historical impact all the more striking.

Charley’s career included driving stagecoaches, brandishing firearms with a notorious quickness, and even surviving a savage encounter with the bandit Sugarfoot, who learned the hard way that Charley would not hesitate to fire a bullet faster than his opponent.

It wasn’t until Charley’s death that anyone questioned his gender. A deep, gravelly voice—attributable to years of relentless chewing tobacco—had always seemed unusually masculine, but only when his body was prepared for burial did the truth emerge: the celebrated cowboy had been born a woman.

Before that revelation, Charley had already etched his name into the annals of American history by registering to vote in California in 1867, thereby becoming the first person assigned female at birth to cast a ballot in a United States election.

5. Renee Bordereau: The Woman Napoleon Wanted Dead

Renee Bordereau endured the loss of forty‑two relatives during the tumult of the French Revolution, a period that promised liberty yet often left the peasantry in ruin. Her father perished before her eyes, cementing a burning desire for vengeance against the revolutionary forces.

When Royalist forces rose against the revolutionaries in 1793, Renee seized the moment. She assumed her brother’s name, Hyacinthe, concealed herself in a male disguise, and thrust herself into the battlefield, quickly earning a reputation as a ferocious combatant.

Legend tells that she would ride into combat gripping a horse’s bridle between her teeth, freeing both hands to wield a sword and a pistol simultaneously. In her very first engagement, she allegedly felled seventeen opponents, a testament to her lethal skill.

Her ferocity impressed even the French military, who deemed her seemingly invulnerable. Over the course of two hundred skirmishes she earned a notorious reputation, prompting Emperor Napoleon to place a bounty of forty‑thousand francs on her head.

Eventually, her comrades in arms realized the fearsome warrior was, in fact, a woman. Yet they retained her on the battlefield, with one soldier famously noting, “See that soldier whose sleeves differ in color from his coat? That’s a girl who fights like a lion.”

4. Kathrine Switzer: The First Woman To Run In The Boston Marathon

In the 1960s, Syracuse University lacked a women’s running team, but Kathrine Switzer was determined to compete on the longest distance stage possible. She joined the men’s cross‑country squad, informing her coach of her ambition to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

At that time, women were barred from marathon participation under the belief they were too fragile for such an endurance test. Switzer’s coach doubted her capability and challenged her to run a full 42‑kilometre distance as training. Undeterred, she pushed herself further, completing a 50‑kilometre run to prove her point.

To evade the gender restriction, Switzer entered the 1967 Boston Marathon under the ambiguous name “K.V. Switzer,” sporting a baggy sweatshirt and, defiantly, a touch of lipstick—an unmistakable sign of her femininity.

Mid‑race, an outraged official stormed onto the course, attempting to wrest the bib number from her and shouting, “Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers!” The confrontation erupted into a scuffle as Switzer’s friends intervened, defending her right to run. Though she never stood a chance of winning against male competitors, she persisted to the finish line.

Switzer went on to complete the Boston Marathon seven additional times and amassed a string of victories in other races, most notably the 1974 New York City Marathon, where she finished a full twenty‑seven minutes ahead of the nearest female finisher.

3. Saint Marina: The Sainted Monk Who Was Secretly A Woman

When Marina’s mother passed away, her father chose a life of asceticism, entering a monastery. With nowhere else to turn, Marina followed him, assuming the male identity “Marinos” to gain admission into the cloister.

Over time, Marinos earned respect among the brethren, becoming a trusted monk. However, a scandal erupted when a local innkeeper’s daughter arrived at the monastery pregnant, accusing Father Marinos of assault.

Marina, aware that she could not deny the accusation without condemning the unborn child to a bleak fate, chose to accept responsibility for the child’s parentage, thereby protecting the infant from societal neglect.

Consequently, the monastery expelled her, forcing her onto the streets where she survived by begging. Yet she continued to care for the child, displaying such devotion that the monks eventually welcomed her back into the community.

The boy she raised later entered monastic life himself, and the two lived together in the monastery until Marina’s death. Only when preparations for her burial began did the monks discover her true gender, confirming her innocence in the earlier accusation.

2. Trotula Of Salerno: The World’s First Gynecologist

Trotula of Salerno earned the distinction of being the world’s first gynecologist, a title she secured in the 11th century while serving as a professor of medicine at the renowned School of Salerno in Italy.

Unlike many of her contemporaries, Trotula did not need to masquerade as a man to practice medicine; the Italian climate of the era allowed a modest number of women physicians to work openly. However, her written works faced resistance, with some texts being published under male pseudonyms to ensure acceptance.

Her contributions to women’s health were vast: she authored treatises on menstruation, conception, pregnancy, and childbirth, introduced analgesics for labor at a time when pain relief was prohibited, and recognized that male infertility could be a cause of childlessness.

During her lifetime, she enjoyed considerable respect as a female scholar. Yet, as centuries passed, the Renaissance period saw many of her texts republished under male names, and later scholars dismissed her achievements, forcing modern historians to re‑examine her legacy and restore her rightful place in medical history.

1. Jeanne Baret: The First Woman To Circumnavigate The Globe

Not every tale ends in triumph. Jeanne Baret’s story begins with hope and ends in tragedy, yet her accomplishment remains monumental: she became the first woman to travel around the world, doing so while concealed as a man.

In 1766, Baret joined Louis Antoine de Bougainville’s global expedition as a botanist. Her partner, Philibert Commerson, already aboard, persuaded her to masquerade as a young male assistant, allowing her to accompany the voyage.

The duo catalogued countless plant species, and in recognition of her contributions, a new genus was christened “Baretia,” a nod to her contradictory existence—delicate yet defiant.

Later accounts suggest that the crew eventually discovered Baret’s true gender. While the traditional narrative claims that Tahitian natives revealed her secret, recent scholarship based on three separate sailors’ journals paints a far darker picture: near Papua New Guinea, three men brutally assaulted her, leaving her physically and emotionally scarred.

Legal statutes of the era dictated that such perpetrators be executed, yet the crew concealed the crime, allowing the assailants to go free while Baret endured lasting trauma, including a pregnancy resulting from the assault.

Despite the harrowing conclusion, Baret’s name endures as the first woman to circumnavigate the globe, a testament to her indomitable spirit and the high price she paid for pioneering discovery.

While the names Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and Susan B. Anthony ring a bell for most of us, the tapestry of history is woven with countless remarkable women who remain largely invisible. Whether the silence stems from the patriarchal bias of earlier scholars or simply because their deeds went unrecorded at the time, these 10 amazing women deserve a spotlight for their extraordinary contributions.

Why These 10 Amazing Women Matter

Each of these pioneers broke barriers, challenged conventions, and forged paths that later generations would follow. Their stories span continents, centuries, and fields—from journalism and politics to aviation and software engineering. Let’s dive into their unforgettable journeys.

10. Jovita Idar

Long before the United States even entertained the idea of women’s suffrage, Jovita Idar was already battling a patriarchal system that sought to silence her both for her gender and her Mexican heritage. Born in Laredo, Texas, to immigrant parents, she grew up in an environment that was far from welcoming to Mexican‑American families.

She initially pursued a career in teaching, but chronic shortages of supplies hampered her ability to educate effectively. Frustrated, she turned to journalism as a new platform for advocacy.

Through her pen, Idar exposed the rampant inequality and segregation afflicting her community, championed causes that amplified women’s political voices, and fearlessly condemned policies she deemed unjust.

While writing for the newspaper El Progreso, she publicly denounced President Wilson’s deployment of troops to the southern border, provoking the ire of both the U.S. Army and the Texas Rangers. When the Rangers arrived to shut down the paper, Idar physically blocked their entry, refusing to let them in. Though the newspaper was eventually forced to close, her courageous stand against armed authorities became an enduring symbol of resistance for Mexican‑American women everywhere.

9. Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm’s career is a catalog of historic firsts. She earned the distinction of being the first African‑American woman elected to the United States Congress, representing New York’s 12th District for seven consecutive terms from 1969 to 1983.

Never one to settle for the status quo, she also became the first Black candidate to seek a major party’s nomination for the presidency in 1972, and the first woman ever to vie for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.

In Congress, Chisholm championed legislation aimed at ending the draft, establishing a federal minimum wage for domestic workers, and advancing the Equal Rights Amendment. Her tenacious advocacy earned her a reputation as a true champion of the people.

Her legacy is often credited with paving the way for the 2008 Democratic primary showdown between an African‑American man and a woman, a contest that ultimately led to the election of the United States’ first Black president.

8. Sojourner Truth

Born Isabella Baumfree into slavery in 1797, Sojourner Truth escaped bondage after giving birth to a daughter in 1826. She later reclaimed her son, Peter, by successfully suing a white man for custody in 1828—a landmark case that made her the first Black woman to win such a lawsuit.

In 1843, she adopted the name Sojourner Truth and embraced Methodism, which propelled her onto the national stage as an outspoken abolitionist and advocate for women’s rights. She forged connections with leading reformers, most notably Frederick Douglass, whose influence helped shape her activism.Her 1851 memoir, The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave, chronicled her life, and she delivered her iconic “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech at the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention the following year. The address resonated for decades, influencing both the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements.

Recognized as a pivotal figure behind the Nineteenth Amendment, Sojourner Truth’s legacy even earned her a place on the reverse side of the proposed $10 bill slated for release in 2020.

7. Huda Sha’arawi

Huda Sha’arawi entered the world in an affluent Egyptian family; her father, Muhammad Sultan, served as the inaugural president of the Egyptian Representative Council. While her upbringing afforded comfort, it also placed her squarely within the confines of 19th‑century Egyptian gender norms, which largely restricted women to domestic spaces or harems.

Following a marriage to her cousin that eventually ended in separation, Sha’arawi pursued education and, in doing so, embraced feminism. She became one of the earliest Egyptian women to publicly discard her veil, a bold act that inspired a wave of similar defiance among her compatriots within a decade.

She organized women’s gatherings at her home, bringing female voices into the public arena for the first time. In 1919, she led Egypt’s inaugural women’s street demonstration during the national revolution and subsequently was elected president of the Wafdist Women’s Central Committee.

Although many of her demands remained unmet during her lifetime, Sha’arawi’s pioneering activism laid essential groundwork for future Egyptian women’s rights advancements, cementing her status as a foundational feminist figure across the Arab world.

6. Lilian Bland

While Amelia Earhart enjoys widespread fame, Lilian Bland’s contributions to early aviation often slip under the radar. In 1910, spurred by a postcard from her Paris‑based uncle, she embarked on a quest to master flight, constructing a biplane glider she whimsically named “Mayfly.”

The glider proved successful, yet Bland yearned for powered flight. She ordered a two‑stroke engine, which arrived before the essential fuel tank. Undeterred, she ingeniously fashioned a makeshift tank from an empty whiskey bottle and her deaf aunt’s ear trumpet.

When the proper fuel tank finally arrived, Bland piloted the first aircraft flown by a woman in Ireland, marking a historic milestone. Her father, displeased with her aerial ambitions, offered to buy her a car—a vehicle she learned to drive herself. Later, she operated a car dealership in Belfast and became Ford’s inaugural agent for Northern Ireland.

Bland’s unconventional spirit and relentless determination not only broke gender barriers in aviation but also inspired countless women worldwide to pursue daring endeavors.

5. Margaret Hamilton

Most people readily associate the Apollo Moon landing with astronaut Neil Armstrong, yet few recognize Margaret Hamilton’s pivotal role in that triumph. As director of the Software Engineering Division at MIT’s Instrumentation Laboratory, she led the team that crafted the onboard flight software essential for the Apollo missions.

Without Hamilton’s groundbreaking software, NASA would have lacked the critical navigation capabilities needed to guide astronauts to the lunar surface. Her achievements earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2016.

Beyond Apollo, Hamilton founded Hamilton Technologies, Inc., steering the development of the Universal Systems Language—a framework that advanced system and software design across industries.

Credited with authoring over 130 scholarly papers, Hamilton also coined the term “software engineering,” a discipline historically dominated by men. Her influence endures as a cornerstone of modern computer science and space exploration.

4. Roza Shanina

Roza Georgiyevna Shanina emerged as a Soviet sniper during World War II, tallying 59 confirmed kills. She enlisted in 1941 after her brother’s death, volunteering for front‑line combat—a role rarely assigned to women at the time.

Although not the inaugural female sniper, Shanina distinguished herself through remarkable precision and the ability to fire doublets—two targets struck with a single bullet. During the Battle of Vilnius, she alone secured 12 kills, showcasing her lethal skill.

Her bravery earned her the Order of Glory, making her the first female Soviet sniper to receive the honor. Canadian newspapers in 1944 dubbed her “the unseen terror of East Prussia,” underscoring her formidable reputation.

Tragically, Shanina fell in combat while shielding a wounded artillery commander, sacrificing herself to protect her comrade. She is remembered in Russia as a heroic figure of the Soviet Union, exemplifying the vital yet often overlooked contributions of women in wartime.

3. Niloofar Rahmani

Before the 2001 U.S.-led invasion, Afghan women faced draconian restrictions: schooling ceased after age eight, public office was forbidden, and they could not leave home without a male escort. The fall of the Taliban opened new horizons, and Niloofar Rahmani seized the opportunity to become Afghanistan’s first female fixed‑wing air force pilot.

She also broke ground as the nation’s inaugural female military pilot, despite receiving death threats against herself and her family. Her perseverance earned her the U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage Award in 2015.

Following heightened threats, Rahmani sought asylum in the United States in 2018. She now aspires to join the U.S. Air Force, continuing her trailblazing journey as a pioneering aviator.

2. Belva Ann Lockwood

Long before American women secured the right to vote, Belva Ann Lockwood championed gender equality through law. After graduating from law school, she became one of the nation’s earliest female attorneys.

In 1879, she achieved the historic milestone of being the first woman to successfully petition Congress for permission to argue before the United States Supreme Court—an unprecedented feat at a time when women could not even cast ballots.

Lockwood ran for the U.S. presidency in both 1884 and 1888 on the National Equal Rights Party ticket. Though she did not win, she became the first woman to appear on a national ballot, breaking new political ground.

Posthumously, her legacy endures: her likeness adorns ship figureheads, appears on U.S. Postal Service stamps, and graces the names of several naval vessels. In 1983, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, cementing her place in American history.

1. Hedy Lamarr

Most readers recognize Hedy Lamarr as a glamorous Hollywood star once dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world.” Yet her true legacy lies in her inventive genius. During World II, Lamarr co‑developed frequency‑hopping spread spectrum technology, initially intended to secure torpedo guidance against enemy jamming.

Although the Navy dismissed her concept at the time, the technique later resurfaced in the 1960s, forming the foundation for modern wireless communications—including cell phones, Bluetooth, CDMA, and Wi‑Fi.

Lamarr’s contributions earned her induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014. While her cinematic achievements remain noteworthy, her groundbreaking work in science and technology deserves equal, if not greater, recognition.

When it comes to rocking the world, the top 10 women who have left an indelible mark on the genre span generations, styles, and attitudes. From punk pioneers who shattered glass ceilings to modern powerhouses who blend artful vocals with fierce stage presence, these trailblazing singers have defined what rock ’n’ roll truly means. Below you’ll find our carefully curated lineup of the most influential female rock vocalists, ranked from the freshest faces to the legendary icons.

Celebrating the Top 10 Women of Rock ’n’ Roll

1. Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine)

Even though she’s the youngest entry on our roster, Florence Welch has already carved out a distinct niche that blends ethereal art‑pop with the raw intensity of rock. Ten years after the breakout album Lungs set the stage, she continues to scale new heights, delivering anthems that feel both cinematic and intimate.

Welch’s flamboyant fashion sense—think flowing gowns, dramatic capes, and a dash of bohemian flair—pairs perfectly with a voice that can soar from whisper‑soft verses to thunderous, choir‑like choruses. This combination makes every Florence and the Machine performance feel like a theatrical spectacle rather than a conventional concert.

List Created By: Bob Bradley

2. Sheryl Crow

With a catalog that has moved more than 50 million units worldwide, Sheryl Crow stands as one of the most commercially successful female artists ever. While many associate her with the radio‑friendly hits of the ’90s, she remains a vibrant force thanks to the 2017 release of her ninth studio effort, Be Myself.

Crow’s sound, rooted in pop, draws heavily from blues, country, and folk traditions, giving her music a timeless quality that feels both familiar and fresh. Her relentless touring schedule and constant output keep her name buzzing in the industry year after year.

3. PJ Harvey

Since emerging in the late ’80s, English multi‑instrumentalist PJ Harvey has become a staple of alternative rock, continuously reinventing herself while maintaining a fiercely independent spirit. Though often labeled a “90s artist” in the United States, her prolific output extends well into the present, with more than ten studio albums to her name.

Harvey’s collaborations read like a who’s‑who of modern music—she’s shared stages with U2, lent her voice to Thom Yorke’s projects, and consistently pushes artistic boundaries. Her ninth record, The Hope Six Demolition Project (2016), earned widespread critical praise and reinforced her status as a relentless innovator.

4. Stevie Nicks

Few names evoke rock royalty quite like Stevie Nicks. As the shimmering frontwoman of Fleetwood Mac and a solo artist with a catalog of timeless hits, she has become an emblem of both vocal prowess and mesmerizing stagecraft. Her influence rivals that of the legendary Janis Joplin, blending mystique with raw emotional power.

Even approaching her seventh decade, Nicks shows no sign of slowing down. She shared a memorable festival stage with Tom Petty in 2017, contributed vocals to Lana Del Rey’s newest record, and toured extensively with The Pretenders through 2016‑17, proving that her creative fire still burns bright.

5. Patti Smith

Patti Smith is a cultural titan—songwriter, activist, poet, and visual artist—whose influence stretches far beyond music. Rolling Stone crowned her one of the 100 Greatest Artists, acknowledging her groundbreaking blend of punk attitude and literary depth.

Her 1978 anthem “Because The Night,” co‑written with Bruce Springsteen, climbed to No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 5 in the U.K. Smith’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007 and her placement at No. 47 on Rolling Stone’s 2010 list of 100 Greatest Artists cement her legacy.

6. Betty Moon

Betty Moon’s two‑decade‑long career showcases a versatile blend of fashion‑forward aesthetics, production savvy, and songwriting chops. Based between Canada and the United States, she promoted her 2017 album Chrome while also making a splash at the 2018 Grammy Awards.

Moon’s distinctive vocal timbre and rock‑infused style earned her a major‑label deal while still a teenager, setting the stage for a string of successes. By March 2018, she secured the No. 5 spot on the New Canadian Music global charts, underscoring her enduring relevance.

7. Amy Lee (Evanescence)

Amy Lee’s impact on rock, gothic metal, and pop cannot be overstated. With her band Evanescence, she forged a sound that married haunting orchestration with heavy guitar riffs, creating a template many have tried to emulate but never quite match.

Beyond her on‑stage persona, Lee is praised for her grounded outlook, charitable work, and recent efforts to craft music that appeals to families. As a prolific songwriter, she remains one of the most respected female voices in modern rock.

8. Taylor Momsen (The Pretty Reckless)

Gossip Girl alum Taylor Momsen dove headfirst into the world of hard‑rock with her band The Pretty Reckless, forming in 2009. The group quickly amassed chart‑topping singles and a reputation for electrifying live shows.

Momsen’s acting background translates seamlessly to the stage, where she commands attention alongside a talented backing band. In 2017, The Pretty Reckless supported Soundgarden on tour, and after the tragic loss of Chris Cornell, Momsen honored him with a heartfelt cover of Audioslave’s “Like A Stone.”

9. Juliette Lewis (Juliette Lewis and the Licks)

While her iconic acting career is cemented in Hollywood lore, Juliette Lewis also commands respect as the fierce frontwoman of Juliette Lewis and the Licks. After an initial split in 2009, the band reunited in 2015 and dropped fresh material in 2016.

Lewis formed the group to emphasize the visceral, live‑energy aspect of rock, delivering concerts renowned for their intensity and eclectic flair. Her unapologetic stage presence continues to inspire a new generation of rock enthusiasts.

10. Joan Jett

Think “I Love Rock ’N’ Roll” and you instantly picture Joan Jett, the platinum‑selling “Godmother of Punk” whose influence stretches across countless genres. Her songwriting prowess and relentless drive have produced hit after hit, cementing her status as a true rock legend.

Jett’s signature style—sharp riffs, bold fashion, and an unapologetic attitude—has left an indelible imprint on music history. Recent collaborations include supporting the Foo Fighters and The Who, and even sharing the stage with Nirvana to perform “Smells Like Teen Spirit” during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.

See also: top 10 female artists that don’t fit into a box.

The Tudor dynasty, which ruled England for just over a century, produced five monarchs who rank among the most infamous and provocative sovereigns in history. In this era of opulence, hardship, intrigue, and war, death was a constant companion—especially at the hands of the merciless King Henry VIII. Here we spotlight the ten influential women whose lives were cut short by execution, yet whose legacies endure.

Why These 10 Influential Women Matter

Each of these women—whether saint, prophet, noble, or queen—challenged the expectations of their time, often paying the ultimate price. Their stories illuminate the perilous intersection of gender, power, and faith in Tudor England.

10 Margaret Ward

The early chapters of Margaret Ward’s life remain shrouded in mystery, with scant records about her upbringing. What historians do know is that she hailed from Congleton, Cheshire, and later entered the service of a London lady named Whitall.

Ward learned that a priest named Richard Watson was being held captive, starved, and mistreated at Bridewell Prison—a former palace turned into a facility for punishing the unruly and sheltering homeless children in London.

When Watson was transferred to a larger cell, Ward devised a daring rescue plan. She arranged a boat to ferry the priest to safety and smuggled a rope so he could lower himself from the prison walls to the ground.

The scheme was foiled, leading to Ward’s arrest and interrogation under torture. At her trial eight days later, she bravely proclaimed on record that she never regretted “delivering that innocent man from the hands of those bloody wolves.”

A devout Catholic, Ward was offered a choice: attend Anglican services and beg Queen Elizabeth I for a pardon, or face the noose. She refused to beg and was executed on August 30, 1588. Later canonized on October 25, 1970, she is remembered as Saint Margaret Ward.

9 Elizabeth Barton

Born in 1506, Elizabeth Barton suffered from epilepsy during her youth. While serving as a teenage maid in the household of Thomas Cobb, overseer of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s estate, she experienced a severe illness that triggered prolonged “trances” lasting days, during which she delivered prophetic utterances that were interpreted as divine messages.

Following her recovery, pilgrims began to flock to her, and she used her newfound fame to fabricate additional prophecies, even claiming a direct line to the Virgin Mary. The Archbishop grew suspicious and launched an investigation.

The prophecy that sealed her fate concerned King Henry VIII. Supposedly, she warned that he “should no longer be king of this realm … and should die a villain’s death” should he divorce his current wife, Catherine of Aragon.

During questioning, Barton confessed to treason and was later sentenced to death. She, along with her allies, was executed by hanging at Tyburn’s gallows on April 20, 1534.

8 Lady Jane Grey

At the tender age of ten, Jane Grey entered the household of Katherine Parr, the final wife of Henry VIII. There, she was raised with a staunch Protestant upbringing, which deepened as she grew older.

Jane’s exposure to court life truly began when her father was elevated to Duke of Suffolk in 1551. It was then that the Duke of Northumberland acted as regent for the ailing King Edward VI, who was too young to rule.

As Edward’s health declined, Northumberland sought to sideline Henry’s daughters—Catholic Mary I and the Protestant half‑sister Elizabeth—by positioning Jane as the next heir. He persuaded the king to deem his sisters illegitimate, and after Edward’s death, Jane was proclaimed queen.

Her reign, however, lasted a mere nine days before Mary rallied support, reclaimed the throne, and ordered the execution of Jane, her husband, and her father. Jane and her husband were beheaded in 1554.

7 Jane Boleyn

In 1524, the well‑groomed and affluent Jane Parker married into the infamous Boleyn family. Contemporary accounts suggest that her marriage to George Boleyn began to crumble shortly after the wedding, owing to his reputed promiscuity and alleged homosexual liaisons.

Complicating matters, Jane is believed to have been jealous of George’s sister, Anne Boleyn. She played a pivotal role in the downfall of both her husband and Anne, the future queen.

Although Jane had previously schemed against court figures, she waited eleven years before striking against her husband. She testified that George and Queen Anne had an incestuous relationship and implied George fathered a child that Anne miscarried.

Years later, Jane found herself entangled in another marital scandal involving King Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves. Their marriage was annulled, in part, thanks to Jane’s testimony that the union had never been consummated.

Jane’s ultimate demise came after she facilitated secret meetings between Queen Catherine Howard and her lover, Thomas Culpepper. For this, she was imprisoned, interrogated for months, suffered a mental breakdown, was declared insane, and finally beheaded at the Tower of London on February 13, 1542.

6 Anne Askew

Anne Askew was a rebel with a cause who refused to change her surname when forced into marriage at fifteen. An avid reader of the Bible—an act declared illegal by King Henry VIII for women and low‑ranking men—she persisted despite criticism and opposition.

After divorcing her husband, who protested her rebellious spirit, Anne moved to London, where she forged friendships with influential individuals while attracting the suspicion of enemies, including Lord Chancellor Thomas Wriothesley, who closely monitored her movements.

Anne began openly preaching Biblical teachings. However, her activism was cut short when she was arrested and charged with heresy in 1545. Though released due to insufficient testimony, she was rearrested the following year, imprisoned in the Tower of London, and subjected to torture.

Despite enduring torture, Anne refused to name fellow Protestants. She was sentenced to execution on July 16, 1546. Unable to walk because of her injuries, she was carried in a chair to Smithfield, tied to a stake, and burned alive after refusing to publicly renounce her beliefs.

5 Margaret Pole

Born in 1473, Margaret Pole was the daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, and the niece of Edward IV and Richard III. During the Wars of the Roses, her family was deeply entangled in the dynastic struggle, with her father positioned third in the line of succession.

Following the war’s end, Henry Tudor claimed the throne as King Henry VII. Concerned that Margaret and her brother might pose a threat, Henry ordered the execution of her younger brother and arranged Margaret’s marriage at fourteen to Sir Richard Pole.

After the deaths of both the king and her husband, Margaret secured a position in the household of Henry VIII’s daughter, Mary. Now Countess of Salisbury, she amassed land and wealth. However, when Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon—Margaret’s close confidante—and married Anne Boleyn, Margaret’s supporters were purged, yet she refused to abandon her standing.

Margaret’s son, Reginald, lived in self‑exile after a violent dispute with the king. When the Pope elevated him to cardinal, Reginald returned to England, raising an army against Henry VIII in the name of the Catholic Church. Accused of complicity, Margaret was imprisoned in the Tower until she was sixty‑seven.

On the morning of her execution in 1541, the novice executioner swung his axe repeatedly, missing her neck and striking her shoulder and head before finally beheading her. She thus became the oldest woman ever executed at the Tower of London. Over three centuries later, she was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.

4 Catherine Howard

Before his marriage to Anne of Cleves was dissolved, King Henry VIII fell for the youthful, vivacious lady‑in‑waiting Catherine Howard. Henry wed Catherine merely sixteen days after the annulment of his marriage to Anne.

Although Henry was fifty and Catherine only nineteen, he craved the distraction of a young wife to ease the painful ulcers he suffered after a jousting injury. After a year of marital bliss, rumors of Catherine’s promiscuity surfaced as she began seeking the company of other men.

Initially, Henry was reluctant to believe the accusations, but mounting evidence of his wife’s infidelity persisted.

In addition to hiring her former lover as a personal secretary, Catherine entered into an affair with Thomas Culpepper in 1541. Her indiscretions finally caught up with her, leading to charges of treason. On February 13, 1542, Catherine was beheaded at the Tower of London at the age of twenty‑one.

3 Margaret Clitherow

Margaret Clitherow was raised in a Protestant household in Yorkshire, England. After a few years of marriage, she converted to Catholicism and became fiercely devoted to her new faith, secretly hosting Mass in her home and working to bring back those who had strayed.

Under Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, laws were enacted to suppress Catholic worship in England. Although Margaret ignored these statutes, a 1555 law forbade priests from residing in England and condemned anyone who harbored a priest to death.

When authorities discovered that Margaret had sent her son to France illegally to receive a Catholic education, they searched her home, uncovering evidence of Mass being held there and priests being hidden.

Consequently, Margaret was arrested. She refused to enter a plea, thereby forfeiting a trial. English law dictated that such a refusal resulted in being “pressed to death.”

On March 25, 1586, Margaret was placed upon a stone slab with a heavy door atop her. Weights were piled onto the door until her back was broken, crushing her to death at the age of thirty. She was later canonized in 1970 and is now known as Saint Margaret Clitherow.

2 Mary, Queen Of Scots

Mary Stuart, daughter of King James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise, was born in 1542. Her father died six days after her birth, making her Mary, Queen of Scots, while still an infant. As she was too young to rule, her mother acted as regent.

King Henry VIII, with his eyes fixed on Scotland, arranged for his son to marry the young Mary. However, after Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn severed ties with the Catholic Church, Scottish Catholics dismissed the proposed union. Instead, Mary was sent to the French court, where she later married Francis, heir to the French throne.

When Elizabeth ascended the English throne, Catholic claims surfaced that she was unfit to rule and that her parents’ marriage was invalid, thereby spotlighting Mary’s claim to the English throne.

After Francis died of an ear infection in 1559, Mary returned to a now‑Protestant Scotland, where religious tensions persisted. She later married Elizabeth’s cousin, Henry Stewart, a man described as cold and ruthless.

Mary grew weary of her husband and, according to some accounts, arranged his assassination. She then married the primary suspect in Stewart’s death, a scandal that sealed her fate. Her new husband was exiled, and Mary was imprisoned.

After escaping, Mary sought refuge in England with her cousin Elizabeth, only to be imprisoned for eighteen years. When evidence emerged that Mary had participated in a plot to assassinate Elizabeth, she was charged with treason and sentenced to death. Mary Stuart was beheaded on February 8, 1587.

1 Anne Boleyn

Born around 1501, Anne Boleyn was first sent to live in France before returning to England to serve as a lady‑in‑waiting to Catherine of Aragon, the future queen.

While at court, Anne captivated King Henry VIII, who wrote in a letter: “If you … give yourself up, heart, body, and soul to me … I will take you for my only mistress, rejecting from thought and affection all others save yourself, to serve only you.”

At that time, Anne refused to become the king’s mistress. Desperate, Henry campaigned to have his marriage to Catherine annulled, arguing that their union was an abomination in God’s eyes because she was the widow of Henry’s brother, rendering her unable to bear a son.

During the six‑year conflict between Henry and the Catholic Church, Anne became pregnant. In 1533, she and Henry married without papal blessing. The public was dismayed, yet Anne was crowned queen of England the following year. She gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, but two subsequent deliveries resulted in stillborn children.

Now married to the woman he desired, Henry broke from the Catholic Church to form the Church of England in 1534. Shortly after, their marriage began to crumble due to Henry’s infidelity and Anne’s jealousy.

After delivering another stillborn baby, Henry decided to replace Anne with Jane Seymour, one of his mistresses. Consequently, Anne was imprisoned on false charges of adultery and incest. She was sentenced to death on May 19, 1536, and beheaded with a single blow of the sword.

History is full of daring individuals who swapped identities to chase a dream, and these 10 famous women took it to the next level by donning masculine guises. From battlefields to literary circles, each of them risked reputation, safety, and even life itself to get ahead. Below, we celebrate their audacious choices, the obstacles they faced, and the legacies they left behind.

Why These 10 Famous Women Chose Disguise

Whether it was to claim a medal, secure a publishing contract, or simply stand on a marathon course, the common thread binding these women is a fierce determination to break gender‑based barriers. Their stories remind us that courage often wears a different uniform.

10 Rena ‘Rusty’ Kanokogi

In the spring of 1959, Rusty Kanokogi entered the YMCA Judo Championship in Utica, New York, sporting a cropped haircut and a chest‑taping trick to hide her femininity. She fought her way to victory, but when she stepped forward to claim her medal, the tournament official demanded confirmation of her gender. Upon answering “yes,” the organizers stripped her of the prize. Kanokogi later reflected, “It instilled a feeling in me that no woman should have to go through this again.”

Her lifelong ambition was to see women’s judo recognized as an Olympic discipline. That dream began to materialize in 1984 when women’s judo debuted as an exhibition sport at the Los Angeles Games, and it achieved full medal status at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Celebrated as the mother of women’s judo, Kanokogi succumbed to cancer at 74 in 2009. A year earlier, the Japanese government honored her with the Order of the Rising Sun, the nation’s highest award bestowed upon a foreign citizen.

9 The Brontë Sisters

Sisters Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë released a poetry collection titled Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell in 1846, each adopting a male pseudonym. The following year, Emily’s novel Wuthering Heights appeared under the name Ellis Bell, while Charlotte’s Jane Eyre and Anne’s Agnes Grey were published under Currer Bell and Acton Bell respectively.

In the preface to the 1910 edition of Wuthering Heights, published posthumously after Emily’s 1848 death, Charlotte explained their choice of male pen names: “Averse to personal publicity, we veiled our own names under those of Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell; the ambiguous choice being dictated by a sort of conscientious scruple at assuming Christian names positively masculine, while we did not like to declare ourselves women, because—without at that time suspecting that our mode of writing and thinking was not what is called ‘feminine’—we had a vague impression that authoresses are liable to be looked on with prejudice.”

After receiving generous critical acclaim, the Brontë sisters began publishing under their true names, cementing their status as some of the most influential authors in literary history.

8 Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc, famously known as “The Maid of Orléans,” lived a brief yet extraordinary life from 1412 to 1431. Born into a peasant family in northeastern France, she claimed divine guidance to rescue France and install Charles VII as its rightful king. At sixteen, she cut her hair, adopted male attire, and set out for Chinon with a small entourage.

Her conviction convinced Charles VII to grant her command of an army, which she led to lift the siege of Orléans. However, in 1430, while defending Compiègne, she was unhorsed and captured by the Burgundians. Charged with 70 offenses—including cross‑dressing and witchcraft—she was tried, forced to sign a confession, and burned at the stake the following year.

Joan’s martyrdom turned her into a national heroine and later a saint, symbolizing courage and perseverance against overwhelming odds.

7 Anna Maria Lane

In 1776, Anna Maria Lane enlisted in the Continental Army—a bold move, as women at the time typically served only as cooks, nurses, or laundresses. Determined to fight alongside her husband John, she disguised herself as a man, allowing her to serve in campaigns across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.

Her concealment was feasible because 18th‑century soldiers rarely bathed and slept in their uniforms, making gender detection difficult. Historian Joyce Henry noted, “As far as enlistment, there are no physicals when one enters the army in the 18th century. One must have front teeth and an operating thumb and forefinger so one may be able to reach in, grab a cartridge, tear off the paper, and be able to successfully load your musket.”

During the 1777 Battle of Germantown near Philadelphia, Lane was wounded yet survived. Though the exact moment of discovery remains uncertain—likely when she was injured—she managed to stay beside her husband throughout the war. For her bravery, she received a lifetime pension of $100 per year and passed away in her mid‑fifties on June 13, 1810.

6 Deborah Sampson

Deborah Sampson earned the unique distinction of being the only woman to receive a full military pension for service in the American Revolutionary War. Formerly a schoolteacher, she assumed the male alias Robert Shurtleff and enlisted in 1782.

During her two‑year tenure, Sampson led roughly thirty infantrymen on an expedition, captured fifteen enemy soldiers, dug defensive trenches, and endured cannon fire. Her true identity remained hidden until she fell seriously ill and was taken unconscious to a hospital, where officials finally uncovered her gender.

In 1783, she received an honorable discharge and embarked on a lecturing career, often appearing in full uniform to recount her experiences. After her death in 1827 at age 66, her widower petitioned Congress for a pension typically reserved for a female widow. Congress approved, noting “no other similar example of female heroism, fidelity and courage,” though Sampson’s husband died before receiving the benefit.

5 Joanna Zubr

Polish soldier Joanna Zubr concealed her gender while serving alongside her husband Michal in the Napoleonic Wars. Enlisting in 1808, she rose to the rank of sergeant within a unit later renamed the Greater Polish Division, which participated in Napoleon’s 1812 invasion of Russia.

During the disastrous Russian retreat, Zubr became separated from her division but managed to escape Russian territory on her own and eventually return safely to Poland. Reunited with her husband, the couple settled in Wieluń, as the Austrian‑occupied and Russian‑controlled regions of Poland remained inaccessible.

Joanna Zubr earned the Virtuti Militari medal—the highest Polish military honor—making her the first woman ever to receive such a distinction for bravery in battle. She died during a cholera epidemic in 1852 at roughly eighty years of age.

4 Maria Quitéria de Jesus

In 1822, Maria Quitéria fled home to join the Brazilian Army, cutting her hair and donning masculine attire to avoid detection. Although her father initially opposed her enlistment, he eventually discovered her secret yet did not prevent her continued service, as Major Silva y Castro welcomed her skillful contributions.

From October 1822 to June 1823, Quitéria conducted daring ambushes in the province of Bahia, luring enemy troops to nearby camps and striking them with a concealed bayonet. In August 1823, Emperor Pedro I promoted her to lieutenant—an unheard‑of honor for a woman at the time.

A century after her death, the Brazilian government commemorated her by hanging a portrait in the military headquarters in 1953, solidifying her status as a national heroine.

3 James Barry

Military surgeon James Barry rose to the rank of Inspector General in the British Army, overseeing military hospitals and dramatically improving patient care. Barry also performed South Africa’s first successful Caesarean section, saving both mother and child.

Born Margaret Ann Bulkley, Barry’s true gender remained concealed until after death in 1865, when a maid preparing the body discovered the secret. The British Army, shocked by the revelation, initially restricted access to Barry’s papers, a restriction later lifted by historian Isobel Rae in the 1950s.

Even Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing, expressed disdain upon learning Barry’s identity, writing, “He kept me standing in the midst of quite a crowd of soldiers… every one of whom behaved like a gentleman while he behaved like a brute. After he was dead, I was told that [Barry] was a woman… I should say that [Barry] was the most hardened creature I ever met.”

2 J.K. Rowling

Joanne Rowling, globally renowned as J.K. Rowling, initially chose to omit her first name from the Harry Potter books to attract a young male readership. The series exploded into the best‑selling franchise in history, translated into over sixty languages.

In 2013, Rowling adopted another male pseudonym—Robert Galbraith—for her crime novel The Cuckoo’s Calling, stating she wanted to “take my writing persona as far away as possible from me.” Editor David Shelley, unaware of the true author, remarked, “I never would have thought a woman wrote that.” The secret was soon leaked by a lawyer’s friend, but the book quickly became another bestseller for Rowling.

1 Kathrine Switzer

In 1967, Kathrine Switzer made history as the first woman to officially start the Boston Marathon—a race that, at the time, barred female competitors. She entered under the guise of a man, and when race officials realized a woman was running, one official lunged at her, trying to yank off her bib number and shouting, “Get the hell out of my race, and give me those numbers!”

Switzer later recalled, “Before I could react, he grabbed my shoulder and flung me back… I was so surprised and frightened that I slightly wet my pants and turned to run.” She added, “I knew if I quit, nobody would ever believe that women had the capability to run 26‑plus miles. If I quit, everybody would say it was a publicity stunt. If I quit, it would set women’s sports back.” Her fear turned to fierce anger, fueling her determination to finish.

Her perseverance paid off: in 1972, women were finally permitted to officially enter the marathon, cementing Switzer’s place as a pioneer for female athletes.

These ten remarkable women prove that sometimes, the boldest way to change the world is to step into a different pair of shoes—literally.

The phrase 10 incredible things may sound like a catchy headline, but behind each number lies a groundbreaking discovery made by a remarkable woman. From the microscopic twists of DNA to the astonishing feat of stopping light, these achievements have reshaped our understanding of the universe and continue to inspire future innovators.

10 Incredible Things Unveiled by Women

10 DNA

It may surprise you, but the double‑helix blueprint of life was first captured by a woman. While three male scientists collected the Nobel Prize in 1962 for unveiling DNA’s structure, the pivotal X‑ray diffraction image—later dubbed “Photograph 51”—was taken by Rosalind Franklin.

Franklin’s meticulous work was largely eclipsed when her male colleagues accepted the award, yet her high‑resolution photo revealed the iconic “X” pattern that hinted at the helical twist. This image became the cornerstone for deciphering the molecule that carries our genetic code.

Her contribution propelled modern biology, chemistry, and physics, laying the foundation for everything from genetic engineering to forensic science, and cementing her legacy as a silent architect of molecular genetics.

9 Earth’s Inner Core

The planet we call home is a layered sphere, and the solid heart at its center was first identified by Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann in 1936. By analyzing how seismic waves bounced inside Earth, she proved that beneath the molten outer core lies a dense, solid inner core.

This revelation not only clarified Earth’s internal architecture—crust, mantle, outer core, and inner core—but also gave scientists a new tool for estimating the planet’s age and thermal history.

Measuring the cooling rate of this iron‑rich nucleus suggests it began solidifying between half a billion and two billion years ago, a process that also fuels Earth’s magnetic field and shields us from harmful solar radiation.

8 The Milky Way Structure

Astrophysicist Heidi Jo Newberg of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has transformed our picture of the Milky Way, revealing a galaxy far more dynamic than the textbook spiral.

Her team uncovered that our galaxy regularly devours smaller neighboring galaxies, pulling in their stars and creating ripples across the Milky Way’s disk. In 2002, they demonstrated that the galactic plane is not flat but corrugated, like waves on a pond.

This discovery stretched the estimated width of the Milky Way from roughly 100,000 to about 150,000 light‑years, sparking lively debate among astronomers about the true scale of our celestial home.

7 Nuclear Fission

When the atom split, the world changed forever—and a key architect of that breakthrough was Austrian‑born physicist Lise Meitner. Although her collaborator Otto Hahn received the 1945 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Meitner’s insight was essential to understanding the phenomenon.

Earlier, in 1923, she identified a radiationless transition that was later misattributed to Pierre Victor Auger, giving rise to the “Auger effect.” Yet it was her 1939 paper, co‑authored with nephew Otto Frisch, that coined the term “fission” and explained how heavy nuclei could split into lighter fragments.

The resulting release of enormous energy became the cornerstone of both nuclear power and the atomic bomb, underscoring Meitner’s profound, though often unheralded, impact on modern physics.

6 Kinetic Energy

In the 18th century, French aristocrat Gabrielle‑Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, better known as the Marquise du Châtelet, illuminated the true nature of kinetic energy. She not only translated Newton’s *Principia* into French—a version still used today—but also articulated the first formal description of kinetic energy.

Prior to her work, scholars believed that kinetic energy depended solely on an object’s speed. Du Châtelet corrected this view, demonstrating that the energy also scales with mass, giving us the modern formula ½ mv².

Her prolific output includes four scientific treatises and five additional works, cementing her reputation as a pioneering mathematician and physicist.

5 Radiation

Polish‑born French chemist Marie Curie revolutionized our grasp of invisible energy by pioneering the study of radioactivity. She meticulously examined uranium and thorium, discovering that both emitted penetrating rays now known as radioactive.

Curie was the first to coin the term “radioactivity” and to argue convincingly that this property stems from an atom’s internal structure rather than its chemical form. Her pioneering techniques also enabled precise measurement of radiation levels.Her groundbreaking work earned her two Nobel Prizes—Physics in 1903 and Chemistry in 1911—making her the only person to receive Nobel honors in two distinct scientific fields.

4 Pulsars

On a crisp night in November 1967, graduate student Jocelyn Bell Burnell, working alongside her advisor Anthony Hewish, captured a series of regular radio flashes that would soon be identified as pulsars—rapidly rotating neutron stars emitting beams of electromagnetic radiation.

Initially dubbed “Little Green Men” as a tongue‑in‑cheek nod to potential extraterrestrials, the signals proved to be natural, with each pulse corresponding to the star’s spin and the sweeping of its lighthouse‑like beam across Earth.

These cosmic beacons now serve as precise astrophysical clocks, helping scientists probe extreme states of matter and test the limits of general relativity.

3 Top Quark

Among the six flavors of quarks—up, down, strange, charm, bottom, and top—the heaviest, the top quark, was confirmed in 2014 at the Large Hadron Collider. Its discovery was led by physicist Melissa Franklin and her team at Fermilab.

Quarks are the fundamental constituents of protons and neutrons, which together form atomic nuclei; the top quark’s massive weight makes it a unique probe into high‑energy physics.

Franklin’s involvement didn’t stop there; she also contributed to the detection of the Higgs boson at CERN, underscoring her pivotal role in particle physics.

2 Slow Light

Light is famously swift, cruising at nearly 300,000 km/s in a vacuum. Yet Danish physicist Lene Vestergaard Hau demonstrated that, under special conditions, photons can be dramatically slowed—and even halted.

By directing a laser pulse into a Bose‑Einstein condensate, a state of matter where atoms move in unison, Hau’s team slowed light to a leisurely 27 km/h (about 17 mph). In a subsequent experiment, they managed to bring the light pulse to a complete standstill within the condensate.

These achievements unlocked new possibilities for quantum information storage and manipulation, cementing Hau’s place in the annals of optical physics.

1 HIV

The human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, has infected over 70 million individuals and claimed more than 35 million lives since its emergence in the early 1980s, making it a modern scourge comparable to historic pandemics.

In 2008, French virologist Françoise Barre‑Sinoussi shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Luc Montagnier and Harald zur Haasen. She and Montagnier were honored for isolating the virus that causes AIDS, while the other half of the prize recognized the discovery of human papillomavirus.

Barre‑Sinoussi’s team hypothesized that a retrovirus was the culprit; their breakthrough came when they examined lymph‑node tissue from an AIDS patient and identified the elusive pathogen. Despite this triumph, she cautioned that a definitive cure for HIV remains an elusive goal.

When we think of war heroes, the name most people picture is a man—after all, women were barred from combat for centuries. Only in recent decades have nations begun to lift those bans, allowing women to fight openly for their countries. Here we celebrate 10 badass women who stepped onto the battlefield, standing shoulder‑to‑shoulder with—or even in place of—their male comrades.

What Makes These 10 Badass Women Truly Legendary?

10 Margaret Cochran Corbin

Margaret Corbin earned the distinction of being the first woman ever granted a pension for military service by the United States Congress. During the 1776 Battle of Fort Washington, her husband served as a cannon operator when a massive Hessian force of 4,000 surged against the fort’s defenses. When a cannonball felled her husband, Margaret didn’t step back; she seized his place on the gun crew and kept firing at the enemy.

The exchange left her with severe wounds to her jaw, arm, and chest, eventually forcing her to abandon the cannon. The British captured the fort, and Margaret was taken prisoner before being released on parole. Despite her debilitating injuries, she stayed on the Continental Army’s rolls, refusing to be sidelined.

Even though her injuries left her permanently disabled, Margaret continued serving actively until the war’s end, finally receiving an honorable discharge in 1783. Her tenacity paved the way for future generations of women in the armed forces.

9 Manuela Pedraza

Manuela Pedraza emerged as a fierce combatant during the reconquest of Buenos Ayres after the first British invasion in 1806. She fought in the final and most extensive battle of the campaign, a three‑day clash that decided the city’s fate.

Accompanying her husband into the fray, Manuela watched him fall to a British soldier’s rifle. In a flash of vengeance, she seized a bayonet and struck down the man who killed him. Grabbing her husband’s musket, she then dispatched another British combatant, demonstrating both resolve and skill.

Recognizing her bravery, the authorities granted her an official military rank and assigned her to the Patricios Regiment. Over time, her legend grew so strong that Buenos Ayres now honors her with an annual award celebrating women’s social activism throughout Argentina.

8 Sergeant Milunka Savic

Sergeant Milunka Savic holds the record as the most decorated female soldier in history. She first saw action in the Balkan Wars and later fought throughout World War I, accumulating nine separate wounds yet never faltering on the battlefield.

When her brother received a call‑up for Serbia in 1912, Milunka either followed him or masqueraded as him to enlist. Her gender remained a secret until a grenade wound exposed her identity. Rather than being reassigned to the nursing corps, her commanding officer, impressed by her valor, allowed her to stay with the infantry.

Milunka famously declared, “I will wait,” refusing to be sidelined until she could return to combat. Her continued heroism earned her decorations from France, Russia, and Britain, cementing her status as a true warrior legend.

7 Senior Lieutenant Lydia Litvyak

Lydia Litvyak took to the skies at just fifteen, mastering small aircraft before the German invasion of the Soviet Union spurred her into combat. To meet the entry requirements for a fighter regiment populated by women, she added a hundred flight hours to her logbook, securing her place among the elite.

After an initial stint with an all‑female squadron, Lydia was transferred to a mixed‑gender unit where she quickly proved her mettle. She downed a fighter and a bomber, earning the nickname “The White Rose of Stalingrad” because of a misidentified lily painted on her plane’s nose. By war’s end, she tallied eleven solo victories and three shared kills.

Shot down in 1943, Lydia’s fate remained uncertain until 1979, when Soviet authorities officially confirmed her death. In 1990, President Mikhail Gorbachev posthumously bestowed upon her the title Hero of the Soviet Union, honoring her extraordinary aerial achievements.

6 Nieves Fernandez

Nieves Fernandez stands out as the sole known female guerrilla commander from the Philippines during World II. Originally a schoolteacher, she abandoned the classroom when Japanese forces occupied Leyte Island, rallying a band of 110 native men to form an improvised resistance.

Armed with long knives traditionally used for cutting vegetation and shotguns cobbled together from gas‑pipe sections, her unit succeeded in eliminating roughly two hundred Japanese occupiers. Fernandez’s leadership persisted for more than two and a half years, prompting the Japanese authorities to place a bounty of ten thousand pesos on her head.

She sustained a single combat wound but survived the war, later being celebrated as a national hero for her tenacity and strategic ingenuity against the occupying forces.

5 Yevdokiya Zavaliy

When World II razed her village, teenage Yevdokiya Zavaliy stepped up to tend the wounded and persuaded a cavalry commander to let her enlist. Though only sixteen, she claimed to be eighteen to meet the age requirement.

Starting as a medic, Yevdokiya quickly mastered small‑arms and, after an abdominal wound, refused to be pulled from the front lines. Her shaved head and uniform led her comrades to mistake her for a man, and she was dispatched to the front.

Her true gender was discovered only after she was wounded again, yet instead of being reassigned to nursing duties, she was promoted to lead a sub‑machine‑gunner platoon in 1943. German troops nicknamed her “Frau Black Death,” and by war’s end she had earned over forty medals for bravery and service.

4 Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester

Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester made history as the first woman to receive the Silver Star since World II, joining a select group of just fourteen American women ever honored for combat valor.

In March 2005, while providing convoy security and conducting an IED sweep, her unit was ambushed by more than fifty insurgents wielding machine guns and RPGs. Disembarking with her team, Hester seized a flanking position, hurled grenades into an enemy trench, and helped clear two additional trenches, accounting for three insurgent deaths.

When the firefight ended, three American soldiers were wounded, while 27 insurgents lay dead, six more were injured, and one was captured. Her decisive actions saved numerous lives, earning her the coveted Silver Star.

3 Major Laura Nicholson

In December 2013, Major Laura Nicholson, a Chinook pilot for the Royal Air Force, was tasked with medical evacuations in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province when her aircraft came under heavy enemy fire.

While extracting a wounded Marine from a hostile landing zone, her helicopter endured direct fire. The onboard security team held the area, allowing her to lift the Marine to safety and transport him to a field hospital.

Undeterred, Major Nicholson returned to the same danger zone to rescue a civilian woman who had been shot in the head. Despite a crew member sustaining a leg wound and the aircraft sustaining damage, she successfully extracted both victims and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for her bravery.

2 Staff Sergeant Stacy Pearsall

Staff Sergeant Stacy Pearsall blended artistry with arms, serving as a combat photographer after enlisting in the Air Force at seventeen and completing a war‑photography program at Syracuse University.

Deployed twice to Iraq, Pearsall captured daily life as service members rebuilt schools one day and pursued high‑value targets the next. Her work earned her the National Press Photographers Association’s Military Photographer of the Year award twice, and she later authored two books recounting her experiences.

Two separate IED attacks injured her, ultimately leading to a medical retirement. For her courageous service, Pearsall received the Bronze Star Medal alongside numerous other commendations.

1 Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lori Hill

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lori Hill piloted an OH‑58 Kiowa helicopter and became the first woman to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism. While escorting a lead chopper, her aircraft came under intense enemy fire.

Hill drew enemy fire away from ground troops while simultaneously delivering suppressive fire. An RPG struck her helicopter, causing severe damage and a loss of hydraulic pressure, and she sustained a round to her ankle.

Despite the injuries and a crippled aircraft, Hill maintained control, communicated with the troops below, and safely returned to base, saving her crew’s lives. Her extraordinary actions earned her the Distinguished Flying Cross, one of the United States’ highest military honors.