UNSUNG HEROINES—five women you’ve never heard of

History has its share of amazing people. These days, there’s rather more attention on women than used to happen. The facts speak for themselves—women whose contributions to the world have often been overshadowed by more established names.

People like Marie Curie, Rosa Parks, and Frida Kahlo are widely recognized. Yet millions of others have created massive impacts with little or no acknowledgement. Here are five lesser-known heroines whose stories need to be told.

The Chemist Who Discovered a Cure for Leprosy with Remarkable Women, now on Amazon. There’s more about these women at andrewsbooks.site. Creating this book has been a personal adventure of creating an imaginary conversation with some twenty exceptional women. In writing it, though, I became all too aware of the multitude of women that I wished I had room for. Here are five of them

The Chemist Who Discovered a Cure for Leprosy

Alice Augusta Ball was an early African American chemist whose pioneering work laid the groundwork for the first effective treatment for leprosy. She was only 23 when she invented the “Ball Method,” which enabled chaulmoogra oil — once an ineffective treatment — to be successfully injected and absorbed by the body. Her findings offered hope to thousands of patients who had been sentenced to a life of permanent solitude.

Sadly, Ball passed away before she could publish her research, and the credit for the work initially went to a male colleague. It has only recently begun getting her the recognition she deserves.

The Spy Who Stood Up to the Nazis: Noor Inayat Khan (1914–1944)

Noor Inayat Khan was a British-Indian spy who became one of the most daring agents of World War II. Of Indian royal descent and a Sufi pacifist, she dared to break with her family traditions by joining the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) as a wireless operator in Nazi-occupied France. Even when she was compromised and facing extreme danger, she never left her post.

Eventually betrayed and captured, she was tortured savagely but gave away no secrets. She was executed at the Dachau concentration camp, and before she was killed, her last word was “Liberté.” She received the George Cross posthumously for her bravery.

Tye Leung Schulze (1887–1972) — The First Chinese American Woman to Vote

In an era when both women and Asian Americans were the subjects of extreme discrimination, Tye Leung Schulze was a political pioneer. She was the first Chinese American woman to cast a vote in a U.S. election in 1912, eight years before the 19th Amendment gave most women the right to vote. A civil rights warrior, she served as a translator and an advocate for victims of human trafficking in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Despite facing tremendous personal and professional challenges, she dedicated her life to pursuing justice.

Tye Leung Schulze (1887–1972) — The First Chinese American Woman to Vote

In an era when both women and Asian Americans were the subjects of extreme discrimination, Tye Leung Schulze was a political pioneer. She was the first Chinese American woman to cast a vote in a U.S. election in 1912, eight years before the 19th Amendment gave most women the right to vote. A civil rights warrior, she served as a translator and an advocate for victims of human trafficking in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Despite facing tremendous personal and professional challenges, she dedicated her life to pursuing justice.

Emmy Noether (1882–1935) – The Mathematician Who Changed Physics Forever

Albert Einstein referred to Emmy Nether as the “most significant creative mathematical genius thus far produced since the higher education of women began.” Yet few beyond the academic world know her name. No ether’s theorem is central to modern physics, relating symmetry and conservation laws in a way that underlies quantum mechanics and relativity.

Though brilliant, she faced prejudice as a woman and frequently worked for free. Her share of the credit has since been established as vital to some of the most outstanding scientific achievements in history.

Why Their Stories Matter

These five women broke the mound, fought injustice, and made an indelible mark.
Their stories remind us that it’s the victors who write history.
However, the contributions of individuals, especially those from marginalized communities,

cannot be erased, as their echoes continue to carry forward. It’s time to put these unsung heroines in the spotlight where they belong.

Who do you know from history who has been consigned to oblivion? Please write and tell me at andrewsbooks@btinternet.com. Or visit www.andrewsbooks.site and check out the latest blogs.

To learn more about Remarkable Women, read my new book on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/azd56fmp.