Tell me about an amazing woman in history that I may not have heard about?

[AwfulMaureen]

There are LOADS of women in history who've done incredible things or had amazing careers but have been forgotten...like an amazing singer from the twenties/thirties who also worked as a prostitute and who wrote and sang some of the most shockingly filthy songs in addition to having a stunning voice.

She began singing professionally as a child having been singing on the street for money...she was offered work in bars. ...I love Lucille Bogan...WARNING...don't play the song in the link if the kids are around!

Tell me your favourite unknown women?

Ada Lovelace

Sophia Jex-Blake and the rest of the Edinburgh Seven who fought to become doctors
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Seven

Elsie Inglis, doctor and sufferagette
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_Inglis

Hypatia

Corrie Ten Boom - a Christian lady in Nazi occupied Holland who saved 100s of Jews by hiding them in her house. She co-wrote The Hiding Place telling her story, from which a film was made. Incredible woman

CATHERINE BOOTH (

Emilié du Chatelet. Translated the Principia Mathematica into French, foremost mathematical physicist of the 18th century, had a long affair with Voltaire with her husband's approval, got him to popularise Newton's ideas in France, and died in childbirth at 39 having personally selected the father from among her male admirers.

Hedy Lamarr as well as being an actress, she was also a Physicist, she jointly patented some very useful wartime technology.

I came on to say Artemesia Gentileschi but see I was beaten to it, incredible life story.

AdaLovelace

Nicholaa De La Haye..
Inherited the castellen of Lincoln castle and at times was in charge of its defence.Also served as the high sheriff of Lincolnshire for 5 months in 1216. A very brave and feisty lady at a time when women were chattels

Also although relatively normal and having lived a relatively normal life Henrietta Lacks' cells helped revolutionise medicine and cancer research.

Cornelia Sorabji - Indian woman who became first woman to study law in England. Did lots of fantastic pioneering legal work in India (although she became very anti- Indian independence at the end of her life-not so keen on her later views).

Vera Brittain - author ofTestament of Youth - about her experiences in WW1. Feminist, journalist, pacifist and mother of Shirley Williams

Winifred Holtby - great friend of Vera Brittain and interesting for the same reasons.

Noor Inayat Khan - as mentioned upthread. Also all the other women agents in WW2 such as Odette Churchill and Violette Szabo.

Elizabeth Garret Anderson - first female doctor & part of a fascinating family
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Garrett_Anderson

Charlotte Carmichael Stopes - academic, campaigner, feminist
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Carmichael_Stopes

Sorry forgot to convert links!

Also everyone in Jill Liddington's 'Rebel Girls'

Nancy Wake

SOE agent. Brilliant brave woman

Campaign to get Edith Cavell on the £2 coin

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Tubman

Harriet Tubman - escaped from slavery and rescued more than 300 slaves.

Elizabeth Fry - Quaker (I think) prison reformer

Violet szabo

Erin Pizzey

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erin_Pizzey

Sought to offer women shelter and aid. Sadly, her views were undermined by militant feminists.

Marking place, for when I'm not squiffy!!

Was going to say Violette Szabo but too was too late - so Vera Atkins

Helm, Sarah (May 2005). A Life in Secrets: The Story of Vera Atkins and the Lost Agents of SOE.

Loved this book

Ooh I went off to put the DC to bed and look! Loads! I love it! It's going to take ages to get through them all....thanks so much...lovely sharing our all too quiet heroines....let's hope they're not too unknown for too much longer.

Some I've heard of but plenty I've not!

Hilda of Whitby

Jocelyn Bell Burnell, although not so much historic as she is very much alive. Should have been joint recipient of a Nobel Prize for Physics due to her work with colleagues on pulsars but was shamefully excluded.

(Should admit I am more than slightly biased as she went to the same school as me, and my grandfather was her physics teacher (completely outs self))