Birth-Death

role of woman

disability

religion/politics

LGBTQI+

1815–1852

Mathematics/Computing

She applied algorithms to set her “Analytic Machine” (XIX cent.), the precursor of modern computer. She is recognised as the first coder and programmer of history.

1892–1916

Developed leprosy treatment. The first woman and first African American to receive a Master's Degree (University of Hawaii).

The first Italian woman to graduate in aeronautical engineering, later devoting her career to studying the comets’ composition and space flight dynamics, becoming “the comets’ lady”.

One of today’s youngest and most influential inventors, she patented the thermoelectric flashligh, a device powered by body heat and other tools exploiting alternative and sustainable energy.

After working in top technology roles and Chief Innovator at Apple, Intuit, and Google, she moved into global development and the public sector. She was part of the team to launch the Alliance for Affordable Internet.

1902–1992

Discovered mobile / transposable genes, that vary location due to contextual stimulus. This made her win the first woman to win an unshared Nobel Prize.

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1983) - "For her discovery of mobile genetic elements"

1750–1848

Discovered several comets. 1st woman to: 1. receive a salary as a scientist (1787); 2. be awarded with the Gold Medal of the UK Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) (1828); 3. be a honorary member of the UK RAS (1835), with Mary Somerville.

Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1828) - For her work in astronomy

First Australian woman Nobel laureate (Physiology / Medicine) for her discoveries regarding telomeres and the enzyme telomerase. She also worked on medical bioethics.

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2009) - "For the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase"

1821–1910

Often enduring prejudices against her sex throughout life and career, she was the 1st woman to attend and graduate as physician at a medical school in the US. Social activist and advocate of women’s rights.

1709–1749

Gone down in history as Voltaire’s muse, in fact she highly contributed to natural philosophy and physics. She translated and expanded Newton’s theories on energy, mass and velocity. Her ideas were often cited in the 1st Encyclopédie.

1843–1903

Among the greatest mathematicians of all times, mother of the theorem at the base of Einstein’s theory of relativity. Called “Der Noether” (masculine), as her colleagues did not believe a woman could be so clever. Had Asperger Syndrome.

Various honors and awards for contributions to engineering

1820–1910

Founder of modern nursing for her use of high hygiene and living standards combined with statistics and big data. She contributed to sanitation reforms around the world, inspiring the Medal the Red Cross instituted in her name in 1912.

Contributed to the mathemical modeling of the shape of the Earth and to the definition of satellite geodesy models, at the base of the GPS system.

Environmentalism

Among the youngest environmental activists with global resonance, launched the “Fridays for Future” protest movement for climate change mitigation. Diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, selective mutism and OCD.

1914–2000

Actress and inventor, co-developed frequency-hopping technology, at the base of today’s bluetooth, wi-fi and GPS systems.

Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (1997) - For her contributions to wireless communication

1897–1984

1st Indian woman to obtain a degree in botany. Contributed to chromosome numbering in plants, working on cytogenetics and phytogeography. She was awarded Padma Shri, Republic of India’s 4th-highest civilian recognition (1977).

Padma Shri (1977) - For her contributions to the field of botany

1885–1952

Challenged Freud’s theories, tracing differences of men and women to culture rather than biology. Pioneer in feminine psychiatry, she is credited with founding feminist psychology.

1918–2020

Among the first Afro-American women to work as programmers at the NASA, making them known as “human computers”. Her key role in the first space missions and in the moon landing earned her various awards and the Hall of Fame (2021).

Presidential Medal of Freedom (2015) - For her pioneering work at NASA

1711–1778

1878–1972

SIA (Smithsonian Institution Archives) no known copyright restrictions

Psychology/Engineering

Together with her husband, she focused on time-motion studies, pioneer in the field of industrial engineering and psychology, linking the two branches. She is often referred to as the ‘Mother of Modern Management’

1878–1968

Co-discovered nuclear fission, paving the way to develop nuclear energy. Her merits were long overshadowed by her male-colleague Otto Hahn, who solo-gained the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1944. Later she got various honours.

Computer Science

Aerospace/Medicine

Educated as a doctor, served as Peace Corps medical supervisor, became engineer via private training and, later, was appointed as the first African-American woman NASA astronaut.

National Women's Hall of Fame (1993) - For her contributions to space exploration

Inventor of the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology. Awarded over 200 patents, in 2002 she was inducted to the NIHF (National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF), USA, becoming the 2nd black woman to enter the ranking.

1869–1963

No known copyright restrictions

Although lacking formal education past elementary school, her researches and studies in botany and agrostology were recognised with major honour and awards. She was also an activist for women’s voting right in the US.

1897–1964

First person (woman) to earn a Ph.D. in computer science in the U.S., contributed to developing the BASIC programming language. Pioneer and far-sighted, she advocated for the use of computer in education.

1789–1865

Lived as James Barry and her contributions to medicine were attributed to her male identity. Under this disguisement, she became the first woman surgeon and also served the British Army for decades.

1889–1959

The 1st American-born Chinese woman to become a physician was the eldest of 11 children in a humble family. When young, being the only woman in her class, she used to dress in masculine clothing and called herself “Mike”.

1922–2013

Astrophysicist and scientific disseminator, greatly contributed to stellar evolution research. She was the first woman to adminstrate an Astronomical Observatory in Italy. Asteroid 8558 Hack is named after her.

1870–1952

One of the first women to attend and graduate from a medical school in Italy. She contributed to pedagogy with her educational phylosophy and system, also for children with learning difficulties. Political exile under fascism.

1867–1934

Physics/Chemistry

Discovered radium and polonium, contributing to radioactivity and nuclear physics. First woman to win the Nobel Price (Physics - 1903, together with her husband Pierre Curie) and first person to win it twice (chemistry - 1911).

Nobel Prize in Physics (1903) and Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1911) - For her research on radioactivity

1758–1836

Married to A. Lavoisier, she was instrumental to the standardization of the scientific method, assisting and taking notes of his job - also contributing to his fame. Thanks to her linguistic skills, translated several scientific works.

1799–1847

Despite the poor education, since the early age collected fossils, highly contributing to advancements in paleontology species classification. Discovered marine reptiles.

1900–1995

No known copyright restrictions

Solar energy pioneer, she is considered one of the founders of solar thermal storage systems, with more than 20 patents in the field. First recipient of the Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award (1952).

Women Engineers Achievement Award

1921–2003

Taught by her father due to economic constraints, she became the 1st African-American woman in the US to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry. Gave major contributions to the research on nuclear proteins, cholesterol and hypertension.

1780–1872

Credited to Somerville College (some.ox.ac.uk)

The “queen” of XIX century science studied mathematics and astronomy, becoming the first female Honorary Members of the UK Royal Astronomical Society (together with Caroline Herschel).

Royal Society Medal (1835) - For her work in mathematics and astronomy

1977–2017

Greatly contributed to hyperbolic geometry regarding the dynamics of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces, becoming the first woman to win the Fields Medal in 2014.

Fields Medal (2014) - For her outstanding contributions to the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces

U.S. Chief Technology Officer, former vice Presidente at Google and the former CEO of Planet out. She ci-founded the Malala Fund.

1875–1948

Devoted her research to the theory of relativity - still, being Einstein’s wife, her work has highly been debated and overshadowed due to her husband’s prepotent fame.

x - malformazione congenita all'anca

1861–1912

Discovered XY chromosomes and sex determination, despite her results have often been attributed to her male colleague, E. B. Wilson, or to her tutor, T. H. Morgan. Member of the US Women’s Hall of Fame since 1994.

1937–2003

Through her groundbreaking research provided basis for scientists’ understanding of higher cognitive functions and of such disorders as dementia, Alzheimer, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, ADHD.

1909–2012

Image courtesy of the Bernard Becker Medical Library, Washington University School of Medicine

Her childhood was marked by the racial laws against Jews and exile. Earned the Nobel Price in Medicine for her work on nerve growth factor (NGF) and nerve regeneration.

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1986) - "For their discoveries of growth factors"

1920–1958

Captured the X-ray diffraction pattern of DNA, which led to the discovery of the double helix. Credits for her discovery were given to male colleagues J. Watson and F. Crick.

1951–2012

NASA Space Flight Medal (1983) - For her historic spaceflight

1st European woman leading the International Space Station, holding the record for the longest uninterrupted spaceflight by a European astronaut.

National Geographic explorer, was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, named by Time magazine as its first ‘Hero of the Planet’ for her conservation initiative Mission Blue is creating a global network of marine protected areas.

Hero of the Planet

1850–1891

Greatly contributed to mechanics and analysis, also as an editor for scientific journals. 1st woman to obtain a Ph.D. in maths in Europe and 1st-ever maths’ female University full Professor. Earned international awards.

Earned international awards.

1865–1915

Invested all her resources in care-giving, advocating for modern hygiene and disease prevention standards. The first Native American to earn a medical degree in the USA.

Animal behaviourist and livestock handling innovator, spokesperson and proponent of autism rights and neurodiversity movements. Diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.

Time 100 (2010) - One of the 100 most influential people in the world

1909–2010

Tunisian, fought against societal expectations to become Maghreb’s first islamic woman doctor, specifically a gynaecologist. Later an advocate for women’s rights concerning abortion.

11th century

Against medieval gender biases, she was therapist and became Europe’s first gynecologist and contributed with the first in history Treatise on gynecology and obstetrics.

1st female, youngest and only solo-woman astronaut in space, under the Soviet Space programme (1963). Among the first women to graduate at the Russian Aerospace Forces Engineering Academy.

Hero of the Soviet Union (1963) - For her spaceflight

1940–2011

Environmentalism

Founded the “Green Belt Movement” to replant trees in devastated areas. In 2004 she was the first African woman Nobel Peace laureate for her contribution to sustainable development and democracy.

Nobel Peace Prize (2004) - For her contribution to sustainable development, democracy, and peace

1912–1997

Confirmed beta decay, crucial in particle/nuclear physics and co-developed the process for separating uranium within the “Manhattan Project”. She received international awards and acknowledgments.

International awards and acknowledgments.