1. Hatshepsut
One of only three women to have independently ruled Ancient Egypt, Hatshepsut became queen by marrying her half-brother, a practice not as scandalous in its historical context; she began to rule the country individually upon his death without having produced an heir of adequate age. Hatshepsut furthered Egypt’s trade and wealth, as well as performing diplomatic tasks with remarkable finesse.
2. Murasaki Shikibu
The first novelist ever was a self-educated Japanese woman. Murasaki was lady-in-waiting to a noblewoman during the Heian period. She learned to read and write Chinese (Japanese did not have a written component at the time) through secretly listening to her brother’s lessons. No one expected much from Murasaki besides politeness and deference, yet she used her intelligence to pioneer a new literary genre. Upon finishing her book, The Tale of Genji, she continued to author poetry and her diary.
3. Artemisia of Caria
Artemisia ruled what is now Syria in the 400s BCE. The Persian empire soon incorporated this land, but instead of wallowing, Artemisia became the foremost general in the entire Persian military. She played a decisive role in wars with Greece, and Emperor Xerxes himself sent sons to be raised alongside Artemisia in hopes that they would grow up to emulate her.
4. Ching Shih
The most successful pirate in history, Ching Shih began her career as a Cantonese prostitute. She took the opportunity of a known pirate captain visiting her brothel to seduce him, then took over his assets upon his death. She faced myriad opposition due to her gender, but strategically forged alliances and carried out plans until she became too powerful to be crossed. At the height of her career, Ching Shih led an empire of over 30,000 pirates. She was also a champion of women’s rights and, unlike her contemporaries, would not tolerate the rape or other forms of mistreatment of women captured in raids and invasions.
5. Annie Oakley
One of nine children in a poor, rural family, Annie learned to hunt and trap at a young age. She became an extremely successful markswoman, earning enough from selling game she caught to single-handedly pay off her parents’ mortgage before the age of 16. Annie garnered national attention when she bested Frank E. Butler, a famous sharpshooter, at a Wild West show. Annie then traveled the world, performing for figures from Queen Victoria to Theodore Roosevelt, and she taught defense skills to an estimated 1,500 girls.
6. Nellie Bly
The first prominent female journalist did not mess around. Nellie, assigned to write housekeeping articles, maneuvered her way instead into a job as a foreign correspondent. After this first foray, Nellie went above and beyond the normal amount of work taken by investigative journalists. In 1888, she had herself committed to a notoriously abusive mental asylum to write a highly successful exposé on the mistreatment there. She championed human rights and social causes, primarily women’s suffrage, throughout her career.
7. Josephine Baker
Josephine, the daughter of two former slaves, performed on stage even as a toddler. She was vivacious, charming, and talented, so much so that she became one of the first non-white movie stars in the 1920s. Too, she worked for American intelligence during World War Two, seeking out knowledge of Nazi plans in Europe, then surreptitiously transporting it, along with important documents, back to the U.S.