128: Sirimavo Bandaranaike Ceylon’s First Female Prime Minister Born: 17 April 1916, Ceylon (Present-day Sri Lanka) Died: 10 October 2000, Colombo, Sri Lanka In 1960 her party won the general election and she became the first modern female Prime Minister of Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka). She was also the first modern female prime minister in…
127: Alexandra Kollontai Soviet Political Icon Born: 31 March 1872, St. Petersburg, Russia Died: 9 March 1952, Moscow, Soviet Union (Present-day Moscow, Russia) Her mother and nanny refused to educate her but a neighbor who was a literary historian stepped in and gave her private lessons suggesting she become a writer. Alexandra married and had…
“I confess that I was so unfeminine as to be free of fear, and willing to remain in the [White House]. If I could have had a cannon through every window, but alas! Those who have placed them there, had fled before me.” 126: Dolley Madison One of the Most Famous Former First Ladies of…
125: Emma Hempstead Cunningham Possible Murderess Born: 15 August 1818, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America Died: September 1878, New York City, New York, United States of America She was accused of murdering the man she was having an affair with—a rich dentist in New York City. When they started their affair, he was…
124: Mariska Hargitay Actress and the former President of the Joyful Heart Foundation Born: 23 January 1964, Santa Monica, California, United States of America Since beginning her role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Mariska has begun working with survivors of sexual assault, domestic abuse, child abuse, and others in need; becoming an advocate…
123: Frida Kahlo Painter Remembered for Her Vivid Self-Portraits and Respect and Attention to Mexico’s Indigenous Culture Born: 6 July 1907, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico Died: 13 July 1954, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico Frida is also a feminist icon for defying the odds and breaking the mold of typical femininity (not every woman could rock…
“I do not want people to be very agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them a great deal.” 122: Jane Austen Novelist who Wrote Sense & Sensibility, Emma, and Pride & Prejudice Born: 16 December 1775, Steventon, United Kingdom Died: 18 July 1817, Winchester, United Kingdom Jane was not well known in…
121: Delphine LaLaurie Serial Killer Remembered Today for Being Portrayed by Kathy Bates in the Third Season of the Anthology Series American Horror Story: Coven Born: 19 March 1775 (Or 1787, Sources Differ), New Orleans, French Louisiana (Present-day New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America (Or Ireland, again, sources differ) Died: 7 December 1849, Paris,…
130: Ignaz Semmelweis He proved Puerperal Fever could be drastically reduced using antiseptic methods Born: 1 July 1818, Buda, Austro-Hungarian Empire (Today Budapest, Hungary) Died: 13 August 1865, Vienna, Austria Original Name: Ignác Fülöp Semmelweis His biggest contribution to medical science though? Introducing the idea, on a large scale, that washing your hands before treating…
129: Sergeant Alvin York One of the Most Decorated United States Soldiers of World War I Born: 13 December 1887, Pall Mall, Tennessee, United States of America Died: 2 September 1964, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America It is said when he first received his draft notice in 1917, he wrote on the back “Don’t…