Written by Jessica-May Cox, Isabel Sherriffs, Angelika Santaniello, Iman Saikh, Vasavi Singhal, Katarina Franco De Almeida
Illustrated by Sylvain Chan
Hedy Lamarr
Written by Jessica-May Cox
Hedy Lamarr (1914–2000) was an Austrian-born American with a penchant for both acting and inventing. Before World War II, she fled her controlling husband in Austria and secured a film contract in Hollywood, acting in several famous films: Algiers (1938), Comrade X (1940), and Samson and Delilah (1949). Despite being self-taught, Lamarr spent her spare time designing various inventions, even when on set. Together with pianist George Antheil, they developed a frequency hopping technology to prevent radio jamming—this would become the precursor to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. Other inventions, such as improved traffic lights and enhanced airplane aerodynamics, are also attributed to her. Lamarr is honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame posthumously in 2014. Of her integration into American society after fleeing Nazi Austria, author Richard Rhodes said: “There were so very few who could make the transition linguistically or culturally. She really was a resourceful human being”.
Sofya Kovalevskaya
Written by Isabel Sherriffs
Sofya Kovalevskaya (née Korvin-Krukovskaya) (1850–1891) was a Russian mathematician, writer, women’s advocate, and revolutionary. Born to a minor noble family near Vitebsk, her aptitude in science was remarkable from a young age. Due to Russian laws against women attending university, she was forced to move to Germany. In 1874, she received her PhD in mathematics for her contributions to mathematical analysis, the first woman in Europe to receive a doctorate in this field. She was also the first woman in Northern Europe to receive a full professorship. This was awarded to her after many years of struggle in 1889 in Stockholm. Aside from her remarkable contributions to mathematics and mechanics, Kovalevskaya was also a feminist and a revolutionary. She contributed two novels to the feminist Russian Nihilist movement, and took care of the sick in the revolutionary Paris Commune in 1871. Sofya Kovalevskaya is remembered today not just as a genius scientist, but also a woman who fought for equality for all.
Zaha Hadid
Written by Angelika Santaniello
Zaha Hadid (1950–2016) was an Iraqi-British architect, renowned for her public designs in the late-20th and early-21st centuries, like the London Aquatics Centre, the MAXXI Museum (Rome), and 520 West 28th Street, New York. Described as ‘the Queen of the curve’, her architectural style embodied abstraction, fluidity, and a rebellion against architectural canons—symmetry and harmony. She never associated herself with a particular architectural school, displaying influences of constructivism, brutalism, modernism, and the works of early 20th century artists, such as Kazimir Malevich. Her innovative architecture awarded her the British Architects’ Stirling Prize (2010, 2011), the AA Diploma prize (1977), and Pritzker Prize (2004) to name a few. Yet, Hadid’s linking of architecture to self-expression marked her as an architectural pioneer: “As a woman, I’m expected to want everything to be nice … A very English thing … I like architecture to have some raw, vital, earthy quality.”
Amrita Sher-Gil
Written by Iman Saikh
Amrita Sher-Gil (1913-1941) was born in Budapest to an Indian Sikh father and Hungarian Jewish mother. Starting by painting her household servants with guidance from her uncle at the age of eight, Sher-Gil later enrolled at École des Beaux Arts in Paris. After gaining recognition for her 1932 oil painting Young Girls, Sher-Gil continued to develop and refine her own unique style by combining aspects of the European Realist and Modernist movements with traditional techniques derived from pre-colonial Indian art styles. After spending time in Turkey and France, Sher-Gil returned to India, travelling across the country and finding purpose in portraying the lives of local folk, particularly those in poorer, rural villages, with an emphasis on showcasing the plight of women. Her depictions of the distant and deprived were amplified by the political context of pre-partition India within which she worked, and her sympathies with the Independence Movement and the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi. Upon settling in Lahore with her husband in 1941, a bout of illness led to Sher-Gil’s untimely death at the age of 28. She leaves behind an unmatched legacy and a remarkable talent, continuing to influence art, culture, and national memory decades after her passing.
Wangarĩ Maathai
Written by Vasavi Singhal
Wangarĩ Maathai (1940-2011) was a pioneering environmentalist and activist from Kenya, making history as the first African woman and the first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She was also the first East African woman to earn a PhD. Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, an organization dedicated to combating deforestation, restoring cooking fuel sources, preventing soil erosion, and generating income for local communities—particularly women. The movement came under attack by the Kenyan government in the late 1980s, with Maathai targeted for assassination and imprisoned. Maathai’s 2010 book, Replenishing the Earth, highlighted the need for communities to take responsibility for their actions and grassroots mobilisation to address local challenges. Her legacy is marked by her selflessness and dedication to improving the environment and people’s lives. As Lillian Wanjiru Niehu, who helped start the GBM stated: “She was kind. And her kindness made her sacrifice her life for the community.”
Marsha P. Johnson
Written by Katarina Franco De Almeida
Marsha P. Johnson was one of the most prominent figures in the 1960’s and 70’s gay rights movement in New York City. The “P.” in her name stood for “Pay it no mind”, a phrase she used when people spoke about her negatively due to her appearance or life choices. Being assigned male at birth, Johnson grew up expressing herself through women’s clothing from a young age. This was often met with resistance by her family and peers, leading to bullying and a sexual assault experience at the hands of a thirteen year old boy. In her adult life, she struggled with employment discrimination, which led her to turn to sex work and perform in drag shows; about this, she famously said: “I was no one until I became a drag queen.” Johnson gained prominence during the Stonewall riots of June 1969, fueling the modern LGBTQ+ movement. She helped form early advocacy groups but later criticised their exclusion of transgender and LGBTQ+ people of colour. Her suspicious death in 1992, initially labelled a suicide, was reopened as a possible homicide after public protest. Johnson remains celebrated for her advocacy and intersectional activism.
