After the Revolutionary War, American soldiers told stories about a brave woman named Molly Pitcher who fought alongside them — but the truth is more complex.

Born a princess of the Yoruba people in West Africa, Sarah Forbes Bonetta was kidnapped by a rival king at an early age. Then in a twist of fate, she was taken to Victorian England.

As "Jane Roe," she fought for the right to choose in the landmark Roe v. Wade case. As Norma McCorvey, she later took money to push an anti-abortion agenda.

On July 22, 1939, Jane Bolin was sworn in as a judge in New York City. She would go on to serve in this position for the next 40 years.

Trained to be ruthless killers, Dahomey Amazons struck fear into the hearts of 19th-century colonizers. And though they were ultimately defeated, some survivors still got their revenge.

Even before America became a sovereign nation, a freed slave named Prince Hall fought for the emancipation of his people in Boston and beyond.

Mary Anning's discoveries shook the very foundations of science but she battled constant misogyny and rarely received credit for her work while she was alive.

Up until her death in 1904, British explorer Isabella Bird traveled the world — and defied traditional gender norms of her time.

While working in a Parisian police station in 1879, Alphonse Bertillon conceived of a way to more accurately identify repeat offenders and became the first to photograph a crime scene.

After walking 600 miles to Canada in 1830, Josiah Henson returned to the United States to free over 100 more slaves.

In 1864, Rebecca Lee Crumpler made history when she earned her M.D. But her inspiring story was largely forgotten for over a century.