Dr. Mae Jemison, American, born 1956
First African American woman in space; physician, engineer, scientist, and accomplished lifelong dancer
Aννα Κομνηνή (Anna Komnene), Byzantine, 1083-1153
Byzantine princess and scholar; penned fifteen-volume history The Alexiad
Gertrude Ederle, American, 1905-2003
First woman to swim the English Channel; broke previous record time by two hours
Asima Chatterjee, Indian, 1917-2006
Groundbreaking organic chemist; first woman to earn a doctoral degree in science from the University of Calcutta; research led to breakthroughs in treatments for epilepsy, malaria, and cancer
Jovita Idár, American, 1885-1946
Journalist and activist for the rights of Mexican Americans and women
Nancy Wake, New Zealander, 1912-2011
Active member of French Resistance and Special Operations Executive during World War II; nicknamed "White Mouse" by the Gestapo
Sayyida al Hurra, Andalusian/Moroccan, c.1485-1561
Refugee of Spanish Reconquista; later, became governor of Tétouan, Morocco after her husband's death; allied with Barbarossa of Algiers to control all trade in the Mediterranean Sea through a savvy combination of diplomacy and piracy.
Queen Liliʻuokalani (Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Kamakaʻeha), Hawaiian, 1838-1917
Final monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi; opposed overthrow of the monarchy and sought legal recourse from the United States; talented musician who composed many of Hawaiʻi's most famous songs