Indian and Hungarian painter, Amrita Sher-Gil (1913 – 1941) mixed European influences and Indian artistic traditions in her art. Despite her short career, she left a substantial body of work and influenced generations of artists. The passion for drawing Daughter of Marie-Antoinette Gottesmann, Hu
Funmilayo Ransome Kuti (1900 – 1978) was a Nigerian politician and womens rights activist. She is particularly committed to the independence of Nigeria, the right to vote and the economic emancipation of women. Engaged teacher Daughter of Lucretia Phyllis Omoyeni Adeosolu and Daniel Olumeyuwa Tho
Activist high school student, participant in the March 1 Uprising, Ryu Gwan-Sun (1902 – 1920) was a figure of Korean resistance against the Japanese occupation. A clever child Daughter of Lee So-je and Ryu Jung-Kwon, Ryu Gwan-Sun was born on December 16, 1902, in the city of Cheonan 80 km south of
Emily Kame Kngwarreye (1910 – 1996) is one of Australia’s most famous and talented Aboriginal artists of contemporary times. A life in the desert Emily Kame Kngwarreye was born in 1910 in Australia, among the Anmatyerre people. She grew up in the desert area of Alhalkere, in what would later b
American actress, novelist and screenwriter, Carrie Fisher (1956 – 2016) is best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars saga. . Feminist, humanist, she has also spoken out on numerous occasions against the stigmatization of mental disorders. “The bookworm” Carrie Frances Fisher was
American gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson (1911 – 1972) reaches the peak of her art and earns the nickname “queen of the gospel”. She is also involved in the civil rights movement. Halie Mahalia Jackson was born October 26, 1911 as Mahala, like her aunt; she is quickly nicknamed Halie. The child gro
American mathematician , Dorothy Johnson Vaughan (1910 – 2008) supervised the group of scientists West Area Computers of NASA, which was then NACA. His story and that of his colleagues were told in the book and film Hidden Figures . Gifted mathematician Daughter of Annie and Leonard Johnson, Dorot
Considered one of the greatest American dancers, Maria Tallchief (1925 – 2013) was the first Native American to be named prima ballerina. She is particularly noted for her energy and great technical abilities. Abundant youth Osage (tribe of Native Americans living primarily in Oklahoma) by his fa
Korean independence activist Kwon Ki-ok (1901 – 1988) is also the first aviator in Korea and China. The birth of a vocation Born on January 11, 1901 in the village of Sangsugu near Pyongyang (Korea), Kwon Ki-ok is the second child of Jang Mun-myeong and Gwon Don-gak. She attended Sunghyeon Schoo
Elizabeth Eckford (b. 1941) was among the first group of African-American students enrolled in a formerly whites-only school in Arkansas, known as the Little Rock Nine. She and her classmates had to face violence and hostility to be able to follow their studies. The Brown v. Board of education El
A French worker, Joséphine Pencalet (1886 – 1972) was elected municipal councilor in Douarnenez in May 1925, when at the time women were neither voters nor eligible. Young widow Joséphine Pencalet was born on August 18, 1886 into a large family of fishermen in Brittany. She studied in Quimperlé, i
Mae Jemison (born 1956) is an American astronaut and engineer. In 1992, aboard the space shuttle Endeavour , she is the first black woman to go into space. Women astronauts Youngest daughter of Dorothy Green, an English and math teacher, and Charlie Jemison, an employee at a charity organization,
South African pediatrician specializing in HIV, Glenda Elisabeth Gray (b. 1962) conducted pioneering work in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. In 2017, you voted for her for the NobElle Medicine Prize! Committed against apartheid Daughter of an accountant mother and a miner
American astrophysicist, Margaret J. Geller (b. 1947) has done extensive work mapping galaxy clusters and the distribution of dark matter in the Universe. In 1989, she discovered the Great Wall. In 2017, you voted for her for the NobElle physics prize! Beginnings of a career as an astrophysicist D
In 2012, researchers Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna developed the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9. This revolutionary discovery, with numerous applications, has earned them numerous awards. In 2017, you chose to award them the Nob’Elles prize for chemistry. Emmanuelle Charpentier Born De
Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (b. 1977) has received numerous awards for her literary work. Recognized internationally for her talent, she is also known for her committed speech We should all be feminists . In 2017, you voted for her for the NobElle prize for literature! Studies in Nige
Jaha Dukureh (b. 1990) is an active campaigner against female genital mutilation. In 2016, she was named one of the hundred most influential people in the world according to Time 100. In 2017, you voted for her for the NobElle Peace Prize! Victim of genital mutilation from birth Jaha Dukureh was
Egyptian pilot, Lotfia ElNadi (لطفية النادي ; 1907 – 2002) was the first Arab and African woman to earn a pilots license. She takes her classes in secret, and has to work as a secretary at the school to finance her training. Pilot in secret Lotfia ElNadi was born on October 29, 1907 into a mid
Nadia Comăneci (born 1961) is a Romanian-American gymnast, considered one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. At 14, she became the first gymnast of all time to obtain a score of 10, rewarding a perfect performance, at the Olympic Games. Gymnastics as a playground Daughter of Stefania-Alexandrin
Noor Inayat Khan (1914 – 1944) was a British secret agent in the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II. Sent to France as a radio agent, she maintains contact with London and transmits important messages. A dreamy girl Daughter of Ora Ray Baker, descendant of a ruling family of a
Johann Gottfried Herder was born in the small Prussian town of Mohrugen on August 25, 1744, to a very humble family origin. His father was a bell ringer, sacristan and doorman at a girls school. It would be the village priest who initiated him in basic studies and put him in contact with the works o
Fernand de Magellan (circa 1480-1521) was a Portuguese explorer of the 16th century. He was the first to have found, south of the New World (America), a passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, still unknown to Europeans. Arrived in the archipelago of the Philippines, he was killed ther
Liberal, he joined Freemasonry and remained devoted to the Duke of Orleans. He distinguished himself alongside the insurgents during the American War of Independence (1777-1779). Back in France, he played a leading role as a liberal monarchist during the early years of the Revolution. Deputy for the
Vallabhbhai had invented a unique formula to demoralize British magistrates and British officials and to talk to them on an equal footing. He wore expensive English clothes, put on his hat, smoked his cigar like him, and spoke fluent English like him. No other person or magistrate knew the law as