• Ada Lovelace

    Ada Lovelace

    Ada Byron Lovelace (1815-1852) was one of the most remarkable visionaries in the history of science. Her friend Charles Babbage invented the Analytical Engine to crunch numbers; it was Ada who ...

  • Christine de Pizan

    Christine de Pizan

    Christine de Pizan (ca.1364-1430) was a brilliant writer, poet, philosopher, and feminist. At a time when females were regarded as profoundly defective beings, Christine boldly imagined a "City of ...

  • Emma Goldman

    Emma Goldman

    "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution." Did Emma Goldman (1869-1940) really say that? In a word, no. The sentiment was certainly hers, and in her memoirs she told of being ...

  • Enheduanna

    Enheduanna

    Enheduanna (ca. 2300 BCE) has been called the Shakespeare of Sumerian literature. It might be more accurate to call Shakespeare the Enheduanna of English literature. Enheduanna is the earliest ...

  • Frida Kahlo

    Frida Kahlo

    Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is quite possibly the most celebrated female artist in history. The elements of her personal style have become iconic: long skirt, Mexican blouse, rebozo, flowers on her ...

  • Jane Austen

    Jane Austen

    Jane Austen (1775-1817) hardly needs an introduction; she is one of the most beloved and admired authors in the English language. The watercolor above right is by her sister Cassandra, and is ...

  • Joan of Arc

    Joan of Arc

    Joan of Arc (1412-1431) was one of the most brilliant generals in history. She was probably the only brilliant general in history to be burned at the stake for, essentially, refusing to wear women's ...

  • Lise Meitner

    Lise Meitner

    You would think that the person who discovered nuclear fission would be one of the most famous scientists of the 20th century. You would think she'd be a household name. But unless you're a geek or ...

  • Lizzie Borden

    Lizzie Borden

    Well, she's not exactly a heroine, but you can't deny she's a Notable Woman. And we gotta have some gore. Lizzie Borden (1860-1927) is one of the most famous crime figures in American history. As ...

  • Madam Walker

    Madam Walker

    Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919) was America's first great female entrepreneur. Her rags-to-riches story still mesmerizes: born Sarah Breedlove, the daughter of slaves, she built a business empire by ...

  • Marie de France

    Marie de France

    Eleanor of Aquitaine is famed for her great patronage of the arts, and one of the finest poets at her court may have been her own sister-in-law. Marie de France (ca. 1130-1200) was a high-ranking ...

  • Mercy Otis Warren

    Mercy Otis Warren

    Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814) was the unsung heroine of the American Revolution. As one of the intellectual leaders of the rebellion, she wrote countless pamphlets, plays, and treatises explaining ...