I’ve always loved history, a love heavily fostered by my parents. My father was a history major in college, and he raised me on cartoons like Liberty’s Kids and Country Mouse and City Mouse, while also taking me to visit historical sites ranging from the Battle of Yorktown to the Gilded Age mansions in Rhode Island. Yet, he was also very intentional about never hiding the truths of history, and he often gifted me books that dedicated each chapter to a different woman in history.
I didn’t realize how unusual this was until middle and high school, when I found myself surprised that I knew historical figures others did not, particularly female figures. This is a qualem that has continued into college, as I believe we do not study history enough in the modern day. More importantly, within education we tend to focus overwhelmingly on male figures, as history has been overwhelmingly written by men. Too many women are forgotten in history despite the profound impact they have had in shaping our world. Women have always been central to political movements, cultural shifts, scientific advancements, and social progress, yet their stories are too often overlooked.
So, as Women’s History Month comes to a close, I wanted to share five of the most interesting and lesser-known female historical figures I have encountered. Some are remembered as victors, others as villains, but all are women you should know.
1.Caterina Sforza (1463–1509)
Caterina Sforza was an Italian noblewoman, warrior, and political leader during the Renaissance. She was the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Milan, but was raised in court, and like all Sforza’s educated as well as her brothers, and trained for strength, strategy, and leadership. She was well-educated, spoke multiple languages, and was prepared from a young age for political and military life.
She became the Countess of Forlì and Imola through her marriage to Girolamo Riario, a powerful nobleman and nephew of Pope Sixtus IV. Riario was deeply involved in Vatican politics and held significant influence within the papal court. After his assassination by conspirators, Caterina took immediate action, seeking revenge against those responsible and securing her children’s safety while maintaining control of her lands.
Caterina was known for her refusal to surrender. In one famous episode, she took bold action against powerful figures in the Vatican, reportedly pointing the cannons at the papal conclave following her husband’s death to ensure her son was made the next Count of Forli. In this instance, the Cardinals smartly acquiesced.
She eventually faced Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander VI, who was a powerful military leader and political figure during this period. Borgia launched a campaign to take control of her territories as part of his efforts to expand his family’s power in Italy.She later demonstrated her determination again during a siege of her castle, where she barricaded herself inside and refused to come out, even as her enemies threatened her children to force her surrender. After a prolonged siege, she was captured, but only after putting up a determined defense from within her fortress.
After her capture, Caterina was taken prisoner and held in Rome for about a year. She was eventually released, but she did not regain control of her lands, which had been seized and absorbed into Borgia’s power. She later lived in Florence under the protection of the Medici family, where she remained for the rest of her life.
Caterina Sforza is remembered as a powerful and fearless woman who defied expectations. In a time when women were rarely in positions of authority, she led as a trained, educated, and strategic ruler who refused to be controlled or intimidated(Lev, Elizabeth).
2. Émilie du Châtelet (1706–1749)
Émilie du Châtelet was a French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher during the Enlightenment. She was highly educated from a young age, studying languages, mathematics, and science—fields that were not typically encouraged for women at the time. Unlike many women of her era, she refused to follow a traditional path. She challenged expectations by pursuing advanced studies, taking private tutors in mathematics, and engaging directly with leading scientific ideas.
She married the Marquis du Châtelet, but their marriage was not a typical one. Both allowed each other independence, and Émilie used her position to gain access to intellectual circles and continue her studies. She became widely known for her relationship with Voltaire, with whom she shared both a personal and intellectual partnership. Together, they collaborated on experiments, discussed scientific theories, and helped spread Enlightenment ideas.
Du Châtelet is best known for her translation and commentary on Principia Mathematica by Isaac Newton. Her French translation remains one of the most important versions of the work and helped make Newton’s ideas more accessible to European scholars, despite the fact that many male scholars of her time questioned or dismissed her work.
She also made significant original contributions to science. She worked on the concept of energy, arguing that the energy of a moving object depends on the square of its velocity. This early insight helped lay the foundation for the modern understanding of kinetic energy, a key concept in physics today.
Émilie du Châtelet was also known for her bold personality and unconventional lifestyle. She was not confined by the expectations placed on women of her time and instead built a life centered on learning, science, and intellectual pursuit. She continued her work and studies even while raising children and managing her household, showing that she refused to choose between personal life and intellectual ambition.
She died in 1749, shortly after giving birth to her daughter, but her work continued to influence science long after her death. Émilie du Châtelet is remembered as a groundbreaking thinker who defied social expectations and made lasting contributions to physics and mathematics(Detlefsen, Karen).
3. Peggy Shippen (1760–1804)
Peggy Shippen was known as the “belle” of Philadelphia society, admired for her beauty, charm, and status. Her father, Edward Shippen, was a prominent judge and later mayor of Philadelphia, placing her in influential social circles from a young age, as her house was frequented by prominent politicians of the day, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and her eventual husband, Benedict Arndold.
During the American Revolution, Shippen developed connections with British officers, including Major John André, the British spymaster. Through André, she became involved in the network of communication that later contributed to her husband, Benedict Arnold, going from a hero of the Revolutionary cause to one of the most infamous traitors in American history.
Historians have suggested that Shippen’s marriage to Arnold, who was about 25 years her senior, may have been influenced by political and social considerations, including securing loyalty and stability. Arnold and Shippen married in 1779, after the British had occupied Philadelphia, a period during which Shippen was known to have moved within Loyalist circles before the city was later retaken by American forces.
Arnold, once a respected general in the Continental Army, became increasingly frustrated with the American cause. Through a secret network of correspondence, often facilitated by Peggy, he opened negotiations with the British to surrender West Point, a key American fort, in exchange for money and a high-ranking position in the British army.
André played a central role in this plan, acting as the intermediary between Arnold and British command. He traveled in disguise to meet with Arnold and receive the final details of the fort’s surrender. However, André was captured by American soldiers while returning to British lines, carrying documents that revealed the entire plot. After his capture, the plan was exposed. Arnold, realizing the danger, fled to British-controlled territory before he could be arrested. George Washington, who had been away from West Point, was later informed of the betrayal after the plot was uncovered.
When the situation was discovered, Peggy Shippen staged a dramatic emotional reaction, fainting and claiming to be unaware of any wrongdoing, to convince Washington of her innocence. Her performance was successful, and she avoided punishment.
Arnold went on to serve the British, while Shippen eventually joined him after leaving the colonies. While she is not remembered as a hero of the Revolution, her role in the events leading up to the betrayal of West Point was significant, as she acted in what she believed was right for her loyalties and future (Jacob and Case).
4. Josephine Baker (1906–1975)
Josephine Baker was an African American entertainer, activist, and spy! Born in the United States in 1906, she rose to fame in the 1902 musical, Shuffle Along. Though she was only in the chorus, she would make faces as she performed and was quickly noticed by an agent. Deemed “too dark” to continue performing in The United States, Baker moved to Paris where she found a level of freedom and success that was denied to her in a deeply segregated America. In France, she became an international star, an actress, dancer, and singer, captivating audiences with her charisma and talent.During World War II, Baker also served as a spy for the French Resistance, using her celebrity status to gather and smuggle intelligence and people in and out of France. Her bravery earned her honors from Charles de Gaulle, solidifying her legacy not only as an entertainer, but as a war hero.
Beyond the stage and her wartime efforts, Baker believed deeply in the idea that people of all races could live together in harmony, and that equality was possible. Unable to have children herself, Baker adopted twelve children of different races and religions from around the world, seemingly proving her point.
Despite her fame, Baker still faced racism when she returned to the United States. In one notable incident at the Stork Club in New York City, she was refused service. Witnessing this, Grace Kelly, who was present at the club was outraged and chose to leave, walking out arm in arm with Baker in a public act of solidarity. The two remained lifelong friends and Kelly financially supported Baker at the end of her life. She refused to perform for segregated audiences, which often led to backlash at her performance venues in The United States. While it would have been all too easy for Baker to stay in France, she continued to return to her home country and work for its betterment. Baker was incredibly involved in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and corresponded frequently with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1963, she spoke and sang at the March on Washington, standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as both an artist and an advocate for justice (Britannica Editors).
5. Hedy Lamarr (1914–2000)
My personal hero, Hedy Lamarr was an actress, activist, and brilliant inventor—though for much of her life, she was only recognized for her looks. A Hollywood star during the Golden Age of film, she was often labeled a “bombshell,” admired for her beauty while her intelligence was largely overlooked.
Born in Austria, Lamarr was deeply curious and mechanically gifted. Her father, a clockmaker, taught her how things worked from a young age, and she carried that knowledge with her into adulthood. During her early marriage to a munitions dealer, she was exposed to conversations about weapons and wartime technology, which she listened to closely and learned from.
She eventually escaped the marriage, which was both controlling and tied to the rise of Nazi power, by disguising herself as her maid and fleeing by train. She made her way to the United States, where she began a highly successful career in film, starring in major productions such as Samson and Delilah (1949) and Algiers (1938).
During World War II, Lamarr partnered with composer George Antheil to develop a system designed to prevent enemy forces from jamming torpedo signals. Their invention used a “frequency-hopping” system, meaning the signal would jump between frequencies, making it difficult to detect or interfere with. At the time, the military dismissed their idea and did not take it seriously, even suggesting that she would be more useful selling war bonds.
Around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. government revisited the previously overlooked patent and implemented aspects of it in their naval technology. Years later, the same concept became foundational to modern wireless communication, including technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, yet Lamarr never received compensation for her contribution during her lifetime.
Hedy Lamarr’s story shows how easily brilliance can be overlooked when it does not fit expectations. Though she was widely known as a film star, her contributions to science and technology reveal a far more complex and impressive legacy(Shearer, Stephen).
I hope that like me you are inspired, or at least intrigued by the likes of Caterina Sforza, Émilie du Châtelet, Peggy Shippen, Josephine Baker, and Hedy Lamarr. These women remind us that history is far richer, and far more complex, than the names we are often taught. These women defied expectations in their own ways, power, intellect, resistance, influence, and innovation. Some were celebrated in their time, others were misunderstood, and some only received recognition long after their contributions were made. Yet all of them shaped the world in meaningful ways. As we move beyond Women’s History Month, we must continue to explore figures, and I hope the five women I listed will be people you will read about. Women have always been central to history, it is our job to ensure they are no longer forgotten, but instead remembered, studied, and celebrated.
Work Cited
Britannica Editors. “Josephine Baker: French Entertainer.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 28 Sept. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Josephine-Baker.
Detlefsen, Karen. “Émilie Du Châtelet (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).” Stanford.edu, 29 May 2013, plato.stanford.edu/entries/emilie-du-chatelet/.
Jacob, Mark, and Stephen Case. Treacherous Beauty : Peggy Shippen, the Woman behind Benedict Arnold’s Plot to Betray America. Guilford, Conn., Lyons Press, 2012.
Lev, Elizabeth. The Tigress of Forlì. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.
Stephen Michael Shearer. Beautiful : The Life of Hedy Lamarr. New York, Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013.