677: Lulu White Entrepreneur and Madam Born: 1868, Alabama, United States of America Died: c.1931 Also Known As: Lulu Hendley, Diamond Queen, or Notorious Negress–yes really Lulu described herself as an octoroon. Though most are not familiar with the word today, in America’s not-so-distant-past, this word was used to refer to a person who had…
676: Hannah Duston Hannah’s Story is Tragic For Both Sides Born: 23 December 1657, Haverhill, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Present-day Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States of America) Died: 1736, Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony (Present-day Ipswich, Massachusetts, United States of America) Hannah was kidnapped by the Abenaki Native American Tribe (most likely). However, her story is debated on…
“When we women, too, have weapons and training, we will be able to prove to all men that we have hands and feet and hearts like yours.” 675: Veronica Franco Poet and Courtesan Born: 1546, Venice, The Venitian Republic (Present-day Venice, Italy) Died: 1591, Venice, The Venitian Republic (Present-day Venice, Italy) Veronica’s mother was a…
674: Phryne Greek Prostitute who was Put on Trial and Won Her Suit by Flashing Her Breasts to the Crowd Born: c.371 BC, Thespiae, Boeotia, (Near Present-day Thespies, Greece) Died: 310 BC, Athens (Present-day Athens, Greece) Original Name: Mnesarete Her lawyer argued that a woman sculpted so perfectly had to be done so by the…
“I can’t say the brassiere will ever take as great a place in history as the steamboat, but I did invent it.” 673: Caresse Crosby The First Person to Patent the Modern Brassiere Born: 20 April 1891, New Rochelle, New York, United States of America Died: 24 January 1970, Rome, Italy Original Name: Mary Phelps…
672: Lydia Litvyak Soviet Air Force Pilot During World War II Born: 18 August 1921, Moscow, Soviet Union (Present-day Moscow, Russia) Died: c. 1 August 1943, Possibly Ukraine (See below for more details) Lydia was called the White Rose of Stalingrad (also the White Lily). She learned how to fly by age fifteen and was…
“I wear my uniform with honor. It has the Order of Lenin on it. It has been covered with blood in battle. It is plain to see that with American women what is important is whether they wear silk underwear under their uniforms. What the uniform stands for, they have yet to learn.” 671: Major Lyudmila Pavlichenko…
670: Sergeant Milunka Savić Probably the Most Decorated Female Soldier Ever Born: c.1892, Koprivnica, Novi Pazar, Serbia Died: 5 October 1973, Voždovac, Belgrade, Serbia Serbian Spelling: Милунка Савић Milunka fought in the Balkan Wars and World War I. In seven years, she fought in three wars on two continents. Milunka received her country’s highest military…
669: Elizabeth “Bessie” Blount Mistress of Henry VIII of England Born: c.1498, Kinlet Hall, Shropshire, England (Present-day Shropshire, United Kingdom) Died: c.1540, England (Present-day United Kingdom) Bessie was Henry’s mistress for around five years. She previously served as maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon and was noted for her musical talents. Bessie was one…
668: Faustina the Younger Empress of Rome Born: c.130 AD, Rome, Roman Empire (Present-day Rome, Italy) Died: c.175 AD, Halala (later Faustinopolis), Roman Empire (Present-day Cappadocia, Turkey) Full Name: Annia Galeria Faustina Minor She was the cousin and wife of Marcus Aurelius and the daughter of Emperor Antoninus Pius and Faustina the Elder. Faustina and…