women's history month

well, march is almost over, but better late than never...

it is (was) women's history month. who are some of your favorite (good or bad) women in history?

Agnodice - disguised herself as a man and studied/practiced medicine in 4th century BC -- when it was illegal for women to practice medicine in Greece. she revealed her gender when the other doctors got jealous of her popularity and was immediatly sentenced to death. her patients came to her rescue and, all noblewomen, threatened to kill themselves if she was executed. thereafter, all free women could become doctors, as long as they treated women only.

Deborah Sampson - put on a man's uniform and fought under the alias Rober Shurtleff in the Revolutionary War. she was hit in the leg and removed the musket balls herself so that no one would guess her identity. she was eventually found out (after getting shot in the shoulder and coming down with brain inflammation) and given an honorable discharge. Paul Revere helped her get a soldier's pension and she went on to give lectures about her experience.

Valentina V. Tereshkova - became the first woman in space in 1963, beating Sally Ride (first American woman in space) by 20 years. she spent more time in orbit (48 times) around the earth than all U. S. Mercury astronauts combined.

Countess Nadasdy - Hungarian countess who believed that soaking in human blood would keep her forever young. obviously, it didn't work, but before she died in 1614, she had stolen the lives of hundreds (at least 612) of female servants.

Mary Reade & Anne Bonney - female pirates (again, in male disguise) that terrorized the West Indies in the early 1700s. they were sentenced to hang for their crimes when caught in 1720, but were released on the claim that they were pregnant.

Mary Mallon - a food service worker that maintained her cook position and handled food knowing that she carried typhoid from an outbreak in 1904. 51 cases and three deaths are attributed to her and she was institutionalized again in 1914.

Ilse Koch - committed atrocites in Nazi concentration camps and was sentenced to life in prison. collected lampshades and other ornaments made from human flesh.

excerpted from: http://encarta.msn.com/column/womenshistory.asp

i think queen elizabeth (the first) still has to be my personal fave... and not just because i loved cate blanchett in the movie. ; )