Women who achieved great things in professions dominated by men!
We present 4 women who achieved great things in areas such as medicine, sports, politics and business. They may not be notoriously famous, but they still managed to have a great impact on history!
Billie Jean King (born in 1943)
“I think that had I not won that game, it would have pushed us back 50 years. Women’s tournaments would have ended and it would have had a great impact on the confidence of women.”
An American tennis legend and the winner of 20 Wimbledon titles, Billie Jean King became famous because she beat Bobby Riggs in a battle of the sexes in 1973 after he told her that men are the better athletes. The film titled Battle of the Sexes (2017) with Emma Stone in the starring role was based on this event.
Dr Gertrude Elion (1918-1999)
“Don’t let others discourage you. In my time people said that women don’t belong in chemistry. I don’t see a single reason why that should be so.”
She was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1988. She developed many drugs to fight leukaemia and malaria. Her best-known contribution was the antiretroviral drug for treating AIDS, known under the name of AZT.
At the end of her medical career she had 45 medical patents, she had been awarded 23 honorary titles and was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007)
“Democracy is the greatest revenge.”
She was Prime Minister of Pakistan between 1993 and 1996 and she was the first woman to lead a Muslim country. During her leadership she ended military dictatorship in her country and fought for the rights of women. She was murdered in a suicide attack.
Helen Rubinstein (1870-1965)
“Hard work smoothens wrinkles from the mind and spirit.”
She immigrated to Australia in 1902 without any money or being able to speak English. She successfully established one of the first worldwide deluxe cosmetics companies after she mixed lanolin, a substance secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals, with flowers. At that time she was the wealthiest entrepreneur and woman in the world.
