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…
667: Mary Boleyn Carey Stafford Mistress of Henry VIII of England Born: c.1508, Norfolk, England (Present-day Norfolk, United Kingdom) Died: June or July 1543, Presumably England (Present-day England, United Kingdom) Mary was the king’s mistress before her sister Anne married him. Historians cannot exactly pinpoint which sister was elder, but if one believes Anne was…
666: Lucilla Empress of Rome Born: c.149, Rome, Roman Empire (Present-day Rome, Italy) Died: c.181, Capri, Roman Empire (Present-day Capri, Italy) Full Name: Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla Lucilla was Emperor Commodus’s Elder Sister. She was also the daughter of Marcus Aurelius and Faustina the Younger, and the wife of Lucius Verus. In 161, Marcus Aurelius…
“My journey, from fleeing a violent communist regime, to being rescued by the U.S. Navy, to working in national security at the Pentagon, and now as the first Vietnamese-American congresswoman, is a journey that could have only happened here in America.” 665: Stephanie Murphy The First Vietnamese Woman Elected to the United States Congress Born:…
664: Chita Rivera Dancer, Singer, and Actress Born: 23 January 1933, Washington DC, United States of America Original Name: Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Chita is known for her Broadway performances in West Side Story, Chicago, and more. As a young adult, she took lessons in singing, piano, and ballet lessons; quickly falling in love…
663: Katrina Lake CEO of Stitch Fix Born: 24 December 1982, San Francisco, California, United States of America Katrina’s net worth was estimated by Forbes to be $380 Million in June of 2019. In 2018, Stitch Fix’s annual revenue was ballparked at $1.2 Billion. Katrina founded Stich Fix in 2011 while working on her master’s…