Category Archives: Historic Heroines

The Daring Harriet Quimby, Queen of the Air

Most everyone knows the name Emilia Earhart, the famous female pilot lost at sea in 1937.  But few remember another ground-breaking female aviator named Harriet Quimby.  She was famous a decade before, and was an inspiration to, Emilia Earhart. Today, only aviation buffs know that Quimby was the first American woman to earn a pilot’sContinue reading “The Daring Harriet Quimby, Queen of the Air”

Rachel Carson, Silent Spring and the birth of the Environmental Movement

Rachel Carson was a writer, marine biologist, and environmentalist who, in the early 1960’s, alerted the world to the ecological dangers of pesticides and fertilizers.  Her best-selling book, 1962’s Silent Spring outlined the environmental dangers of chemical pesticides in particular.  It led to a Kennedy presidential advisory commission that endorsed her findings. Her book ultimatelyContinue reading “Rachel Carson, Silent Spring and the birth of the Environmental Movement”

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was a Living Saint to the Poor

Most people remember Mother Teresa as a tiny, frail, Catholic nun in a white habit; her weathered face lined with deep creases.  She was always seen tending to the poor, sick and dying in India, or other Third World countries, usually with an impossibly warm smile on her face.  But there was so much more to this determined, faith-driven woman than just that singular image.

Marguerite Alibert – from Prostitute to Princes

Marguerite Alibert was a very resourceful Frenchwoman who lived many different lives.  She had gone from poverty to prostitution to princes – not just one prince, but two, from different countries. She managed to transform herself from a prostitute, to a consort, to a defendant in the trial of her husband’s murder.

Belle Starr, Outlaw Queen of the American Wild West

elle Starr was an infamous fugitive in the American “Wild West” of the late 1800’s. She was connected with such famous outlaws as Jesse and Frank James, and was arrested several times herself.  She’s been credited with a long list of crimes, but was she truly the Bandit Queen as the newspapers made her out to be?

Anne Bonny, the Fierce, Forgotten, Female Pirate

Anne Bonny is one of the most famous female pirates of all time.  She was known for her Irish red hair, fierce fighting skills and ruthlessness. Her exploits occurred during the notorious period known as the “Golden Age of Piracy.” During her time as a pirate, Anne proved herself an equal to any man onboard.  She sailed, drank, swore and fought alongside her fellow male pirates. The mysterious circumstances of Anne Bonny’s ultimate fate, has only fueled modern stories of her adventurous life.

Lepa Radic, Teenage Resistance Partisan was Executed by the Nazis

Lepa Radic was just a 17-year-old Yugoslavian girl when she was hanged by the Nazis for being a Partisan in 1943.  This extraordinarily brave girl had joined the Yugoslav Partisans in the fight against their Nazi oppressors in World War II, and taken on the most dangerous assignments.  What turn of events lead to herContinue reading “Lepa Radic, Teenage Resistance Partisan was Executed by the Nazis”

Mata Hari – Exotic Dancer, Mistress, and French Spy

The name Mata Hari is almost synonymous with femme fatale, or any wicked temptress who uses her sexual charms to seduce the hero of the day. In reality, Mata Hari was a professional exotic dancer and mistress, who ultimately became a spy for France during World War I.   Suspected of being a double agent, sheContinue reading “Mata Hari – Exotic Dancer, Mistress, and French Spy”

The Oversteegen Sisters – Teenage Resistance Assassins

The Oversteegen sisters were only teenagers when they joined the Dutch resistance in the Netherlands during World War II. Together with a young friend, Hannie Schaft, they gathered intelligence for the Resistance, provided Jewish safe houses, bombed railways and, most remarkably, lured Nazi officers into the woods, and shot them. When World War II eruptedContinue reading “The Oversteegen Sisters – Teenage Resistance Assassins”