Birth Locations – Page 131 – The Exasperated Historian

143) Georg Rauch

143) Georg Rauch

He was a Jewish Man Conscripted into Fighting in Hitler’s Army

Born: 14 February 1924, Salzberg, Austria

Died: 2 November 2006, Most Likely Mexico

Author of Unlikely Warrior: A Jewish Soldier In Hitler’s Army.

Georg was actually only one-quarter Jewish, but in Nazi Germany, that was enough. He and his mother hid as many Jews as they could in their apartment before they could arrange for them to be transported out of the country.

Georg still ended up drafted and sent to the Russian Front. He was captured and spent many months in a POW Camp in Kiev, and when he returned home, he weighed only eighty pounds. His mother nursed him back to health, but a year later he was in hospital, getting fitted for the 3/4ths body cast he would spend the next two years in. He had contracted bone tuberculosis while in the POW Camp.

While at the hospital, he took up drawing the other patients, and began painting in 1949. His first one-man show of his artwork was in 1952, and soon he was showing his pieces all over Europe and the United States. 1968 saw him commissioned to build a large sculpture for the Montreal World Exhibition.

He and his wife Phyllis lived in Mexico. Georg wrote his book in German, and his wife translated it to English. As of 2015, it was translated into Polish and Italian, and his wife was hoping for an official German edition as well.

Badges Earned:

Located in My Personal Library:

Unlikely Warrior: A Jewish Soldier In Hitler’s Army

Sources:

http://www.georgrauch.com/bio/

http://www.georgrauch.com/book-unlikely-warrior/

142) James Wilson Marshall

142) James Wilson Marshall

The Man who First Found Gold and Sparked the California Gold Rush of ‘49

Born: 8 October 1810, Hopewell Township, New Jersey, United States of America

Died: 10 August 1885, Kelsey, California, United States of America

He was a Carpenter and Sawmill Operator.

James never struck it rich himself.

When he was eighteen, he left home in New Jersey and settled in Kansas, spending some time in Indiana and Illinois before that. However, after several years of famine, he hopped on the wagon train to head further west.

He arrived on John Sutter’s land in 1845. James became a carpenter for John, and soon enough owned livestock and land of his own.

James also took place in the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846. After a year in the service, James returned home to find his cattle stolen, and he had to sell his ranch to keep afloat. It was at this time that he formed the partnership with John Sutter that would see a sawmill built along the American River.

James spotted gold on the morning of 24 January 1848, when he was working the mill. Because of his discovery, the able-bodied men in the area abandoned the mill, forcing it to close.

James spent the rest of his life bitter and angry, drifting from place to place, trying to collect tin. At his final home he was able to grow a meager garden, but that was about the fill of his luck.

Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked

Located In My Personal Library:

Tales Behind the Tombstones: The Deaths and Burials of the Old' West's Most Nefarious Outlaws, Notorious Women, and Celebrated Lawmen by Chris Enss

Sources:
https://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/i_r/marshall.htm

https://mininghalloffame.org/inductee/marshall

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6649/james-wilson-marshall

141) Yang Kyoungjong

141) Yang Kyoungjong

The Only Soldier From World War II Known to Have Fought on Three Sides of One War.

Born: 3 March 1920, Korea (Possibly in Shin Eu Joo, Present Day North Korea)

Died: 7 April 1992, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America

Yang was first forced into the Japanese Army, then the Russian Army, then the German Army. He was finally captured by the Americans during the landings at Normandy.

Not much is known of Yang’s early life. What is known is that in 1938, he was conscripted and pressed into service for the Japanese Imperial Army. This occurred because he was living in Japanese controlled Manchuria, despite the fact he was Korean.

Yang was captured by the Soviet Red Army at the battle of Khalkhin Gol and sent to a forced labor camp. However, in 1942, due to a lack of manpower on the front lines, Yang and thousands of other prisoners were sent to fight for the Soviet Army.

Around a year later, at the Third Battle of Kharkov, Yang was captured yet again, this time by the Germans. The German Wermacht Army forced him into the East Battalion, and the next thing Yang knew he was in France.

During the invasion of Normandy, Yang found himself a prisoner all over again, this time taken by the United States. He was one of four men of Asian descent captured at this time.

Originally, the Americans thought all four were Japanese. In actuality, none of them were. The other three were all from either Turkestan or Korea (Sources Differ).

Because he was not fluent in either English or German, Yang ended up in a POW Camp in England until the end of the war, but he luckily didn’t have to fight again.

Once the war was over, Yang emigrated to the United States, and ended up in Illinois, where he lived peacefully until passing away.

Note:

According to War History Online (Linked Below), the entire story might not actually be true. Evidently the Wermacht sources cannot be 100% confirmed, and some accuse the photograph of being faked or of someone else. Whatever the case, it makes a hell of a story.

Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked

Sources:
https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/yang-kyoungjong-1944/

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/koreans-captured-at-d-day.html

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/104354380/yang-kyoungjong

140) Agnodice

140) Agnodice

The First Athenian Female Doctor

She lived during the Classical Era, but exact birth and death dates are unknown

Agnodice disguised herself as a man to learn midwifery (because only men in Athens were allowed to be midwives at the time).

She was taken to trial by other doctors who were jealous of her skill and rapport with the women she was attending to. They charged her with corruption but after revealing she was a woman at trial (reportedly by flashing the crowds) she was acquitted.

Soon after a law was passed allowing freeborn women to practice medicine.

Note:

The only source for her from Antiquity is the writer Hyginus so she may have been a fictional creation.

Badges Earned:

Rejected Princess

Located in My Personal Library:

Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath

Hypatia's Heritage: A History of Women in Science from Antiquity to the Late Nineteenth Century by Margaret Alic

Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the Face of Medicine by Olivia Campbell

Sources:

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/heritage_floor/agnodice

https://www.rejectedprincesses.com/princesses/agnodice

139) Peseshet

139) Peseshet

Doctor from 4^th Dynasty Egypt

Lived and Died around -2500 BC-

She was given many titles including “Overseer of Women Physicians.”

We know of her because she is mentioned in her son’s tomb—named Akhet-Hetep, she is—at present—the earliest known female physician who held a directorial position.

The first known female physician overall is Merit-Ptah who practiced about one hundred years earlier.

The excavation of her son’s tomb also revealed she directed up to around one hundred female physicians and trained midwives in the medical school at Sais.

It has been said she was able to cure cancer of the womb and complete difficult surgeries.

Ted-Ed on YouTube made a video on a day in the life of Peseshet. You can watch it, linked here in this article.

Sources:

https://www.ancient.eu/article/49/female-physicians-in-ancient-egypt/

http://www.district106.net/html/downloads/6thGradeiWeb/13jcarve_Medicine/Peseshet.html

https://www.ancient-origins.net/peseshet

https://www.medelita.com/blog/honoring-pioneer-peseshet/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2685681

138) Merit Ptah

138) Merit Ptah

First Known Female Doctor AND Female Scientist in World History

Lived and Died around -c2700 BC-

Her name means "Beloved of Ptah"

Merit Ptah served as Chief Physician, meaning she was in charge of all doctors’ male and female.

She is named on the necropolis surrounding the step-pyramid at Saqqara that was built by Imhotep.

Merit Ptah may have been a teacher—including teaching her son, who son was a priest and Chief Physician as well.

There is some evidence of a woman running a medical school around three hundred years earlier (around 3,000 BC) but her name remains unknown to history.

Sources:

https://www.ancient.eu/article/49/female-physicians-in-ancient-egypt/

137) Danica Patrick

137) Danica Patrick

Retired Professional Race Car Driver

Born: 25 March 1982, Beloit, Wisconsin, United States of America

She is the most successful female driver in American open wheel racing.

Danica left IndyCar in 2011 to focus on stock car racing until 2017.

She retired completely after competing in the 2018 Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500.

In 2019, she launched a podcast called Pretty Intense.

Sources:

http://www.danicapatrick.com/

http://www.danicapatrick.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danica_Patrick

136) Marie Claude Beaumont

136) Marie Claude Beaumont

Le Mans Driver who competed from 1971 to 1976 (I Think, Google Translated a Le Mans blog—kind of)

Born: c. 1941

Most of the information available for her is in French which I have about an elementary level knowledge of, so if you know French, I would recommend going straight to the links below to read everything yourself, otherwise come along for a ride with me.

Marie Claude was an interpreter for French and English drivers.

She worked as a navigator for different rally race teams before becoming a driver herself.

Marie Claude was one of the first two female finishers of the Spa 24 Hours race in 1967.

She was nicknamed Jamais Contente which means Never Satisfied.

Marie Claude was the first female driver to compete in Le Mans since 1954—she drove a Corvette which quit fifteen hours into the race (she and her husband shared the driver’s seat).

She retired from racing in 1977 and worked as a PR agent for Renault for a time before starting work as a freelance race photographer.

Sources:

The One in French: http://lemans.eklablog.com/marie-claude-beaumont-a143805582

http://speedqueens.blogspot.com/2010/07/marie-claude-beaumont.html

135) Janet Guthrie

135) Janet Guthrie

Retired Professional Race Car Driver

Born: 7 March 1938, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America

In 1977 she became the first woman to qualify for and compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.

Before becoming a race car driver Janet was a flight instructor, aerospace engineer, technical editor, and public representative for several major corporations.

In 1964 she applied for the scientist astronaut program and made it through the first round of eliminations.

Before racing at Indianapolis, she spent thirteen years racing in other venues and building her own cars.

In 1976 she became the first woman to compete in a NASCAR Winston Cup Superspeedway stock car race.

Her driver’s suit and helmet now reside in the Smithsonian.

Badges Earned:

Located in My Personal Library:

The Only Woman by Immy Humes

Sources:

http://www.janetguthrie.com/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/motorsports/2019/05/26/janet-guthrie-indianapolis-500-nascar-sexism-motor-sports/1242690001/

134) Odette Siko

134) Odette Siko

The first woman ever to compete in Le Mans

Birth and Death Dates Unknown, as is place of Birth

As of 2018 she still holds the title of highest finishing female competitor at Le Mans.

Odette first raced Le Mans in 1930 and it is her first recorded race—but she was more than likely racing at a local level before that.

She was racing alongside another woman named Marguerite Mareuse as a team. They were the first women to race and the first all-female team as well—finishing in seventh place overall.

The next year they finished ninth place—before being disqualified over a technicality.

In 1932 the women split up, continuing to race but with different partners. Odette and her partner would earn fourth place overall.

In 1933, she had an accident and was thrown from her car, but she got back in and finished the race.

In 1937 she competed in the Yacco Speed Trial heading up an all-female team of drivers, during that race they broke ten endurance records and fifteen in Group C International Racing—many of which still stand to this day. The race lasted ten days; their average speed was 87 miles per hour, and they drove somewhere in the area of 19,000 miles (in one car).

In 1939 she competed in the Monte Carlo Rally and then disappeared—literally, never to be heard from again.

As of 2018, fifty-seven women have competed at Le Mans, but none have taken Odette’s 1932 crown.

Sources:

https://jalopnik.com/the-first-woman-to-ever-compete-in-le-mans-still-holds-1829237623

https://www.lemans.org/en/news/todays-photo-story-marguerite-mareuse-and-odette-siko-first-women-at-le-mans-in-1930/44309