Choosing a topic like “Women Who Changed the World” presents a problem. Once you get started, how do you stop? It wasn’t easy, but here’s a somewhat random– and hopefully interesting–list.
She Kept It With Her for Sixty Years
Young Eleanor Roosevelt attended the Allenswood Academy and had an inspirational experience there. In fact, as we learn from Georgetown Professor Allida Black, the woman who ran the school gave Eleanor a note that she carried with her throughout her life. It read, in part: “I expect great things from you your entire life.”
She Played a Role, Because She Had To
Marie Curie is one of the very few women who is universally regarded as a genius — primarily because of social conventions that Penn Professor Susan Lindee describes.
What Did Cleopatra Look Like?
For centuries, scholars have wondered what Cleopatra looked like, as she was considered to be extraordinarily beautiful. In fact, whether she was white or a woman of color remains unknown.
What Do We Really Know About Her? Not Much.
Jane Austen is one of the most famous authors in history, and yet, like William Shakespeare, we don’t really know that much about her. That said, as Bard College Professor Joseph Luzzi points out, she is on the ten pound note in Britain!
Some Loved Her. Most Didn’t.
Margaret Thatcher was one of the most influential British Prime Ministers in history, though she was not universally well-liked by all. U.S. President Ronald Reagan admired her immensely, but Queen Elizabeth of England did not, as Emory Professor Patrick Allitt explains.
The Genius You’ve Probably Never Heard of
The name Ada Lovelace is familiar to some people – but not very many. She was, in fact, clearly a genius who was likely the first to understand the programming capabilities of computers. Oxford Professor Christopher Hollings provides the fascinating background of her unusual life.
A Controversial Novel, Even Today
University of Maryland Professor Richard Bell explains how Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the very first work to reflect the humanity and spirituality of Black Americans. In fact, during the Civil War, President Lincoln actually met and referred to her as “The little lady who started this great war.”
First Ladies Matter
The influence on our country by First Ladies has been quite substantial, as Lynn University Professor Robert Watson details.
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