228: Lola Montez Professional Liar Born: 17 February 1821, Grange, County Sligo, Ireland (Present-day Republic of Ireland) Died: 17 January 1861, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America Original Name: Elizabeth Rosanna Gilbert She pretended to be Spanish so she would be a more “exotic” dancer (she was from Ireland). Lola is most known for…
227: Lavinia Fisher Reportedly the First Female Serial Killer in the United States Born: 1793, South Carolina, United States of America Died: 18 February 1820, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America Lavinia may have been from Charleston, South Carolina but that remains unclear. What is known is that she lived six miles from Charleston…
226: Mary Peck Butterworth Possibly the First Counterfeiter in What Would Become the United States Born: 27 July 1686, Rehobeth, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Present-day Rehobeth, Massachusetts, United States of America) Died: 7 February 1775, Rehobeth, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Present-day Rehobeth, Massachusetts, United States of America) (This Mary is not to be confused with the band…
225: Audrey Hepburn Actress Remembered for Roles Like That of Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s Born: 4 May 1929, Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium Died: 20 January 1993, Tolochenaz, Vaud, Switzerland Audrey started on Broadway before launching herself into Hollywood. She lived in the Netherlands during World War II and reportedly helped deliver messages as a…
224: Violette Szabo Allied Spy During World War II Born: 26 June 1921, Paris, France Died: 5 February 1945, Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, Brandenburg, Germany Violette worked for the Special Operations Executive and was parachuted into France before being captured and executed by the Nazi Regime. She met her husband and married him very quickly—Etienne was…
“When I found I had crossed that line [to freedom], I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through the trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven.” 223: Harriet Tubman Union Spy…
222: Margaretha MacLeod Exotic Dancer Known Better by her Stage Name of Mata Hari Born: 7 August 1876, Leeuwarden, Netherlands Died: 15 October 1917, Vincennes, France Her mother died when she was fifteen and so she and her three brothers were split apart and sent to live with other relatives. Margaretha was already coming into…
221: Belle Boyd Confederate Spy hailed as the “Cleopatra of the Secession” Born: 9 May 1844, Martinsburg, Virginia (Present-day West Virginia), United States of America Died: 11 June 1900, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, United States of America Original Name: Maria Isabella Boyd She was seventeen years old when the War Between the States broke out. Belle…
220: Rose O’Neal Greenhow Confederate Spy Born: c.1815, Most Likely Montgomery County, Maryland, United States of America Died: 30 September (Or 1 October, depending on Source) 1864, Atlantic Ocean near Wilmington, North Carolina, Confederate States of America (Present-day United States of America) Rose used her position as a socialite in Washington DC to run a…
219: Catherine (née Middleton) Her Royal Highness, The Princess of Wales Born: 9 January 1982, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom Formerly Known As: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge Kate is married to Prince William, which means she will likely become Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and other commonwealth countries when he ascends the…