In the summer of 1566 in Chelmsford, one of the first English witch trials unfolded, ending…
Plautilla Nelli: Florence’s Forgotten Renaissance Artist
In sixteenth-century Florence, where art was a male domain, a fourteen-year-old girl from a wealthy merchant…
Mary Calkins: Pioneering Without a Degree
Harvard said „no,” but history said „yes.” Mary Whiton Calkins fulfilled all PhD requirements, received top…
Ann Augusta Stowe-Gullen: Pioneer of Women’s Medicine
Ann Augusta Stowe-Gullen made history as Canada’s first female medical graduate, but her life was much…
Laura Bassi: Europe’s First Female Physics Professor
When Laura Bassi entered the Bologna city hall in 1732 to defend her doctoral thesis, crowds…
Margaret Cavendish: The Remarkable 17th-Century Pioneer
When Margaret Cavendish entered the Royal Society of London in 1667, she caused quite a stir.…
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard: France’s Forgotten Art Pioneer
In 18th-century France, women were officially considered incapable of receiving artistic education on par with men.…
Elena Cornaro Piscopia. The First Female Doctorate
In 17th-century Europe, women never crossed university gates as students. Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia not only…
Maria Kirch: The Woman Who Discovered a Comet
In 1702, a woman in Berlin was the first to spot an unknown comet through a…
Lydia Pinkham: The Herbal Remedy Pioneer
At a time when women were ashamed to talk to doctors about their bodies, a certain…