They made history. So why haven't more people heard of them? Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most groundbreaking women whom the history books don’t accord the recognition they deserve.
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00:00If you were asked to picture the most successful pirate of all time, who would you imagine?"
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today, we're counting down our picks for the most groundbreaking
00:10women whom the history books don't accord the recognition they deserve.
00:15When I'm gone, remember everything it took to get here.
00:24Number 20.
00:25Grace O'Malley
00:26Few female pirates in history have gained the same recognition as their male counterparts,
00:31and Grace O'Malley is one of the overlooked.
00:34Born in 1530 to a noble Irish dynasty, O'Malley showed her fearless spirit early on, cutting
00:40off her hair to join her father's sailing expedition.
00:43I think of Grace O'Malley not only as a fighter in terms of being able to use the sword, but
00:49I also think she was a very intelligent woman, very much able to use her mind.
00:55She succeeded her father as their clan leader, and commanded a fleet that dominated the seas
01:00off Ireland's west coast.
01:02O'Malley boldly defied the English.
01:05In 1593, she negotiated the release of her brother and sons from English captivity by
01:11meeting personally with Queen Elizabeth I.
01:14Remarkably, she refused to bow to the queen, as she deemed her an equal.
01:18O'Malley remains a legendary figure in Ireland, although her exploits are often left out of
01:23history books.
01:24Devoutly religious male historians must have thought Grace O'Malley set a dangerous example
01:29as a woman who overstepped the bounds of womanhood.
01:33The most amazing clan leader and mariner of her time.
01:3719.
01:38Rosalind Franklin
01:40While scientist duo Watson and Crick are associated with DNA's double helix structure, Franklin
01:45was also a big part of this influential discovery.
01:48A chemist and X-ray crystallographer, Franklin was a researcher at King's College in London.
01:54In 1952, she and her student took pictures of DNA, including the pivotal Photo 51.
02:00The now famous X-ray portrait not only confirmed the double helical shape, but also hinted
02:05at its manner of replication.
02:06Franklin continued her analysis unaware that at nearby Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge,
02:11Watson and Crick were working on their own models, but still unable to confirm the helical
02:15structure.
02:16Without her knowledge, Franklin's colleague, Morris Wilkins, showed Photo 51 to Watson.
02:21Watson and Crick used the X-ray image to support their own research, while Franklin's
02:26own research was downplayed.
02:28Franklin died of ovarian cancer at only 37, and never lived to see the growing recognition
02:34of her work.
02:35With awards, buildings, and even a play in her honor, Franklin's contributions to science
02:40will always be remembered.
02:41I want people to think about everything that Rosalind Franklin accomplished, and how much
02:49more she could have accomplished had she not been isolated and marginalized.
02:55Number 18.
02:56Victoria Woodhull
02:57Today, multiple women have vied for the U.S. Presidency, but none of that would be possible
03:03without Victoria Woodhull, who was the first to do so in 1872.
03:07A fierce advocate for women's suffrage in labor reforms, Woodhull also supported free
03:13love, which championed women's rights to marry, divorce, and have children without
03:18government interference.
03:19The general theme of what she was saying is still very applicable today, as far as who
03:25is anybody else to say, who is anybody else to judge my love life, and who I want to spend
03:31time with.
03:32Additionally, she was a pioneer on Wall Street, co-founding the first female-led brokerage
03:37firm with her sister, Tennessee Claflin.
03:40Together, they also ran a newspaper that once published an exposé on the extramarital affair
03:45of a prominent minister, resulting in Woodhull's arrest on obscenity charges.
03:51Woodhull passed away in 1927 and was posthumously inducted into the National Women's Hall of
03:57Fame in 2001.
03:59If I had to explain to a student what they should learn in history that isn't actually
04:06taught in textbooks, I would say to find the hidden gems like Victoria Woodhull.
04:14Number 17.
04:16Nana Asma'u.
04:17This Nigerian princess and poet was born in 1793 to Ousmane Danfodio, the founder of the
04:24Sokoto Caliphate in present-day northern Nigeria.
04:27Danfodio prioritized universal education in his kingdom, and so Asma'u was well-educated
04:34in global classics and fluent in four languages.
04:37She decided basically, the way that these men are behaving and fighting amongst themselves,
04:42I've got no time for it.
04:45She literally started a woman's movement of her own.
04:49Determined to pass on this knowledge, she established a network of female teachers who
04:54traveled across the caliphate to educate women in rural areas, who in turn taught others.
05:00This became a movement known as Yan Taru, which still exists today and continues to
05:05play a crucial role in promoting female education, especially in northern Nigeria.
05:11You have places where women have their own centers, their own Qur'an memorization centers.
05:16They study Maliki Fiqh.
05:18They have their own, even they call it a susu in terms of the way they support each other.
05:24Asma'u was also a prolific writer who produced a vast collection of prose and poetry in different
05:31languages.
05:33Number 16.
05:34Maya Darin.
05:35Often hailed as the mother of American avant-garde filmmaking, Maya Darin was born in Ukraine
05:40and immigrated to the US with her parents to escape anti-Semitic pogroms.
05:43She began exploring filmmaking in the early 1940s, using her inheritance to shoot her
05:49first film, Meshes of the Afternoon.
05:52Darin's work broke away from conventional filmmaking techniques and became known for
05:56its innovative editing, visual symbolism, and non-linear storytelling.
06:01One image is always becoming another.
06:02That is, it is what is happening that is important in my films, not what is at any moment.
06:07This is a woman's time sense, and I think it happens more in my films than in almost
06:12anyone else's.
06:13Her fascination with Haitian voodoo led her to document the religion, although she passed
06:18away before she could complete the project.
06:21It was later released posthumously as Divine Horsemen, the Living Gods of Haiti.
06:25Darin helped to establish experimental film as a respected art form, founding the Creative
06:30Film Foundation to support independent filmmakers.
06:33Films are way more than just a script.
06:35A script is just literature.
06:36It's not the movie itself.
06:38They have a unique language and vocabulary that has yet to be fully fleshed out.
06:42And what I really, really love about Maya Darin is her work reflects this pursuit of
06:46the cinematic language.
06:4815.
06:49Mary Seacole
06:50The daughter of a Scottish soldier and a Jamaican traditional healer, Mary Seacole followed in
06:55her mother's footsteps and became a nurse.
06:58After treating patients of the 1850 cholera epidemic in Jamaica, Seacole sought to apply
07:03her skills during the Crimean War.
07:06However, she was rejected by the British War Office, possibly due to her race.
07:10Undeterred, she travelled to Crimea independently and opened the British Hotel, offering food,
07:16medicine and supplies to soldiers.
07:18As well as treating soldiers at her hotel in Crimea, Mary would also visit the battlefront
07:23on her horse, taking sandwiches, drinks, bandages and medicines with her.
07:28Despite arriving after the major battles were over, Seacole cared for the wounded and comforted
07:33the dying, earning the troops' affection as Mother Seacole.
07:37Although her efforts were overlooked for nearly a century, she is now celebrated as a pioneering
07:42nurse and humanitarian.
07:44Now, we'll get you a statue, obviously.
07:47Yeah, maybe get a university wing named after you.
07:51Oh, how would you feel about being featured in an historical sketch show for the BBC?
07:5714.
07:58Nancy Wake
08:00This tough-as-nails spy started out as a freelance journalist and ended up as a French resistance
08:05hero.
08:06In the mid-30s, Wake visited Vienna and saw Nazis assaulting Jews in the streets.
08:11From then on, she knew that she had to stop them.
08:14I stood there and I thought, oh, that's dreadful.
08:18I couldn't whip a cat.
08:19I don't know what will happen, but if ever I can do something one day, I'll do it.
08:25When Germany invaded France in 1940, Wake joined the resistance as a courier and guide
08:30for Allied soldiers and refugees.
08:33Trained in England, she strengthened ties between Britain and the resistance, and her
08:37efforts led to many guerrilla victories.
08:40I was really surprised.
08:43Always on her tail, the Gestapo could never catch the woman they called the White Mouse.
08:48Wake passed away in 2011 at the age of 98 and is one of the most decorated servicewomen
08:54of World War II.
08:55Number 13.
08:56Noor Inayat Khan Not only was this brave woman a British spy,
09:01she was also a Sufi princess.
09:03Khan was a children's author in Paris when the war broke out and fled to England in 1940.
09:08Although her father's Sufi teachings had made her a pacifist, the tyranny of Nazi Germany
09:13made her join the war effort.
09:15She became a radio operator for British intelligence shortly thereafter and was next sent to Paris
09:20to work for the French resistance.
09:22While many members of her network were arrested, Khan continued to work while trying to evade
09:27capture.
09:28When the Gestapo searched her on the train, she gave them a casual tour of her film projector.
09:34When an officer spotted her hanging her aerial, she chatted about her passion for listening
09:38to music on the radio and charmed him into helping her set up the cable.
09:42In October 1943, a colleague betrayed her and Khan was imprisoned in Paris by the SS.
09:49Even though she faced horrible conditions, Khan defied her captors until the end.
09:53She was executed in Dachau, Germany in 1944, and has since earned her place among Britain's
09:59wartime heroes.
10:01Noor has been honored as a hero who waged secret battles behind enemy lines, paving
10:06the way for freedom without ever taking a life.
10:09Number 12.
10:10Huta Lune Before WWE divas, there was Huta Lune, a
10:15beautiful Mongol princess who happened to love wrestling.
10:18A descendant of Genghis Khan, she was a skilled warrior who often joined her father in battle.
10:24When she wasn't killing it at the front, she could be found wrestling opponent after opponent.
10:29Huta Lune has grown more fierce with age and more beautiful.
10:40It appears my daughter will never take a husband.
10:43Huta Lune could wrestle anyone she wanted, and she didn't do it just for kicks.
10:48If Huta Lune won, she'd get 100 horses.
10:51If she lost, she'd marry her opponent.
10:53Needless to say, Huta Lune ended up with a lot of horses.
11:07She allegedly married someone she met outside her lucrative hobby and died in 1306.
11:13Unusually unknown outside of Mongolia until recently, this unbeatable princess wrestled
11:18her way into history.
11:20Number 11.
11:21Wu Zetian She was the only female emperor to reign
11:24in her own right in Chinese history, and a polarizing figure to boot.
11:28Depending on the sources, Wu Zetian was either a ruthless woman who wasn't above having her
11:34own relatives killed to take the throne, or a highly effective leader who improved the
11:39lives of commoners.
11:40The truth lies somewhere in between.
11:42This is part of an intentional process, an intentional destruction of vestiges of female
11:49power during the late 7th and early 8th century.
11:52The Confucian patriarchy striking back and re-establishing normative power.
11:57Wu purged a lot of the competition to become emperor, but also managed to purge corruption,
12:03expand the civil service system, and make Buddhism more prominent.
12:06She even headed a brand new dynasty for 15 years, which ended upon her abdication and
12:12death in 705.
12:14Despite her controversial reign, or maybe because of it, Wu continues to captivate us
12:19centuries later.
12:21For her entire idiosyncratic, unprecedented political career, defied labels, and for 1,300
12:29years she's defied historical verdict.
12:32Number 10.
12:33Bessie Coleman
12:34At a time when U.S. flying schools barred African-Americans, Native Americans, and women,
12:39Bessie Coleman, who ticked all three boxes, faced a slim chance of becoming a pilot.
12:44However, she decided to move to France to actualize her dream.
12:48She was a manicurist, but she decided she loved the idea and the adventure of flying.
12:55In 1921, Coleman earned her international pilot's license from the Fédération Aéronautique
13:01Internationale, becoming the first African-American woman and Native American to do so.
13:07After returning to the U.S., she became known for her daring aerial shows, which drew large
13:12crowds.
13:13She was a small little woman, you know, but she'd go up in that aircraft and she'd do
13:17her loops and her flips and, you know, recover from stalls at the very bottom and blow everybody
13:23away.
13:24She also challenged racial inequality by refusing to perform for audiences that excluded African-Americans.
13:31Coleman aimed to open a flight school for people like her, but that dream was cut short
13:35when she tragically died in a plane crash in 1926.
13:39A young pilot established a school in her honor, the Bessie Coleman Aeroclub.
13:44The founder of the club said in his book, which he dedicated to Bessie, that because
13:49of Bessie Coleman, we have overcome that which was worse than racial barriers.
13:53We have overcome the barriers within ourselves.
13:56Yaa Asantewaa
13:58As the Queen Mother of the Ashanti Empire in present-day Ghana, Yaa Asantewaa's primary
14:03duty was to protect the Golden Stool, a symbol of Ashanti sovereignty.
14:08In the late 19th century, after exiling the king to Seychelles, the British colonists
14:13demanded the Golden Stool.
14:15This enraged Asantewaa.
14:17While some male leaders hesitated, she took charge and led Ashanti forces in a rebellion
14:22known as the War of the Golden Stool.
14:24If you, the men of Ashanti, if you won't go forward and we the women will, I shall
14:29call upon my fellow women and we will fight the white men.
14:33Despite being in her 60s at the time, Asantewaa fought on the front lines, inflicting significant
14:38losses on the British side.
14:40Although the Ashantis eventually lost the war and Asantewaa was exiled, the colonists
14:45never laid hands on the Golden Stool.
14:47Today, Asantewaa's bravery and resistance are celebrated in Ghana and across Africa.
14:53Yaa's actions are woven into the fabric of Ghanaian, African and the Black Diaspora's
15:00history.
15:01She literally stands as a symbol of Black power.
15:04Number 8.
15:05The Mirabal Sisters
15:07These Dominican sisters, Patria Minerva and Maria Teresa, fought the brutal dictatorship
15:13of Rafael Trujillo.
15:15Through their resistance group, the Movement of the 14th of June, they issued anti-Trujillo
15:20pamphlets and planned revolt.
15:23In January of 1960, they called representatives together from all over the country to establish
15:29the movement's structure and prepare an uprising, but it was not to be.
15:34Minerva and Maria Teresa were arrested, but were freed after the Organization of American
15:40States intervened.
15:42Their freedom was short-lived, however.
15:44On November 25, 1960, the sisters were driving home from visiting Minerva and Maria Teresa's
15:50jailed husbands when Trujillo's henchmen beat them to death.
15:54Trujillo was assassinated six months later, and the Mirabal surviving sister, Didi, dedicated
16:00her life to preserving the women's memory.
16:02To commemorate the sisters, November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination
16:08of Violence Against Women.
16:09These sisters were not only badass, they're also national heroes.
16:13Their courageous fight for justice has inspired generations.
16:17Number 7.
16:18Hatshepsut
16:191,400 years before Cleopatra, another female pharaoh ruled over ancient Egypt.
16:25After her husband, Thutmose II, died, Hatshepsut ruled alongside her stepson, Thutmose III,
16:33eventually becoming a pharaoh in her own right.
16:35Hatshepsut was usually depicted with feminine features, along with the king's false beard
16:41to show her power.
16:43Hatshepsut also did what previous pharaohs had done.
16:46She built great monuments, including a huge memorial temple to herself, Deir el-Bahri,
16:52one of the architectural wonders of the ancient world.
16:55Her 20-year reign was mostly peaceful and prosperous.
16:59Hatshepsut built many monuments and embarked on landmark trade expeditions to the land
17:03of Punt.
17:04Twenty years after her death, traces of her memory were destroyed, with some believing
17:09that her stepson, Thutmose III, was to blame.
17:12While later research casts doubt on this theory, we're fortunate that enough has survived
17:17from her reign so that Hatshepsut won't be forgotten any time soon.
17:22But once her name was found and reconciled with her image and prosperous reign, she gradually
17:27came back to life and assumed her rightful place as one of the greatest pharaohs in Egypt's
17:33history.
17:346.
17:35Irena Sendler
17:36When World War II began, Irena Sendler, a social worker for Warsaw, Poland, couldn't
17:41ignore the horrors around her.
17:43Working with the Polish underground resistance, Sendler helped smuggle 2,500 Jewish children
17:48out of the Warsaw ghetto, giving them new identities and placing them in convents or
17:53with sympathetic families.
17:54She also kept meticulous records, hoping to reunite these children with their families
17:59when the war was over.
18:11In 1943, Sendler was arrested by the Gestapo and tortured, but she refused to reveal any
18:21information.
18:22For this, she was sentenced to death.
18:24However, she narrowly escaped execution after the resistance bribed Nazi officials to release
18:29her.
18:30Sendler's bravery saved countless lives, and after the war, she was recognized by Israel,
18:35Poland, and the United States.
18:415.
18:42Ching Sze
18:43This former sex worker became one of the most feared and successful pirates of the South
18:53China Coast.
18:54Her husband, Cheng Yi, was already known as the commander of the Red Flag Fleet.
18:59After he died in 1807, Ching took the helm.
19:02She introduced a passport system, which meant salt merchants had to buy safe passage from
19:07the pirates.
19:09Soon this extended to all types of merchant and fishing vessels.
19:13She even set up tax offices to collect fees.
19:16Who knew piracy required so much paperwork?
19:18By 1810, she oversaw a fleet of up to 80,000 pirates, no small feat.
19:24She also set up a strict code of conduct to keep them in line, unless they wanted to lose
19:29their heads.
19:30Whether it was Chinese officials, the Portuguese, or the British, nobody could defeat the Red
19:34Flag Fleet.
19:35When the government offered amnesty to pirates, Ching retired, keeping her loot and running
19:40a gambling house.
19:41By land or by sea, Ching was unstoppable.
19:434.
19:44Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba
19:55Born into the royal family of Ndongo in modern-day Angola, Queen Nzinga was privy to military
20:01and diplomatic training at a young age.
20:04This would prove invaluable in her adulthood.
20:06What would you do if you were in my place?
20:13I would find a way to unite the kingdom, use all our might to drive the Portuguese back
20:18to where they came from.
20:19Nzinga became known for her political savvy and led a fierce resistance against Portuguese
20:24colonization.
20:25After her brother King Mbandi died in 1624, Nzinga, who had previously negotiated with
20:31the Portuguese and spoke their language fluently, became queen.
20:35However, the Portuguese, threatened by her policies, backed a rival and declared war
20:39on her in 1626.
20:41Nzinga responded with guerrilla warfare, forming a key alliance with the Dutch to counter the
20:47Portuguese.
20:48Not only did she retain control of Ndongo, she later conquered the kingdom of Matamba,
20:53uniting the two in a formidable regional power.
20:56Nzinga was a mother of a nation, but she loved her country, and for that she made great sacrifices.
21:03But those sacrifices ensured the independence of her kingdom, while the rest of Africa was
21:10swallowed by imperialism.
21:12Number 3.
21:13Rony Lakshmibai of Jhonsi Rony Lakshmibai of Jhonsi was born in either
21:191828 or 1835, which means she was likely only 22 years old when she stood up to the
21:25British.
21:26Lakshmibai was the wife of Maharaja of Jhonsi, who died before she could give birth to an
21:32heir.
21:33Before his passing, the Maharaja named an adopted heir, but the British Governor General
21:37of India refused to recognize him and annexed Jhonsi.
21:40Unwilling to surrender her kingdom, Lakshmibai joined the 1857 rebellion, mobilizing her
21:46own troops into battle.
21:48Despite being vastly outnumbered, she mounted a fierce resistance against the British.
21:52When Jhonsi fell in 1858, she escaped and continued fighting, but was ultimately killed
21:58in the state of Gwalior.
22:00Her unwavering courage, however, remains undefeated.
22:03We must unite in one incarnation, Virangana.
22:10Number 2.
22:11Jeanne de Clisson This Breton noblewoman's third husband was
22:14executed for treason during the Hundred Years' War.
22:18Jeanne then swore revenge on France.
22:20She sold her belongings to fund a small army, fighting on land before becoming a pirate
22:25in the English Channel.
22:27She and her children reached England, where Edward III is said to have given her three
22:31ships.
22:32She paints them black, and the sails red, and she basically became vengeance incarnate.
22:39Along with her forces, Jeanne supposedly beheaded French nobles herself, always sparing a few
22:44to report to the French king.
22:46Sources differ on her pirating days.
22:48She was at sea anywhere from five months to 13 years, but they ended once she married
22:53an English military deputy.
22:55While much of her life is the stuff of legends, her resolve was all too real.
22:59It became like a ghost story for a lot of French nobles and stuff.
23:04You don't go out in the sea at night because you're going to get killed by the lioness.
23:08I thought that was awesome.
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23:26Number 1.
23:27Amani Rhaenys The Roman army was one of the most formidable
23:31military forces in ancient history, which enabled Rome to conquer many kingdoms.
23:36However, there was one that stood firm against their advances, the Kingdom of Cush, led by
23:42Queen Amani Rhaenys.
23:44After seizing control of Egypt, the Romans attempted to push further south into Cush,
23:48but were met with unexpected resistance.
23:51One of the Cushite envoys gallantly presented the Romans a beautiful bundle of golden arrows
23:56and said the following words.
23:58This gift is from the Candace.
24:00If you want peace, this is a token of her warmth and friendship.
24:04If you want war, keep the arrows, because you are going to need them.
24:08Amani Rhaenys launched a bold counterattack, advancing into Egypt and sacking the city
24:14of Syene.
24:15Her forces managed to hold their ground for years, even in the face of the more expansive
24:19Roman army.
24:20Amani Rhaenys, described as having only one eye, eventually forced Rome into negotiating
24:26a peace treaty, which allowed Cush to maintain its independence and exempt it from paying
24:31any tax.
24:32Her leadership, guidance, determination and grit is second to none when it comes to African
24:37queens.
24:38And given all that history, I find it odd that her name doesn't roll off our tongue
24:43like other African queens.
24:45Which of these powerful ladies do you find the most inspiring?
24:48Let us know in the comments below.
25:01Do you agree with our picks?
25:02Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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