women’s history

What Did Cleopatra Look Like? Inside The Enduring Mystery Of The Iconic Queen’s Real Face

From ancient portraits on coins to Elizabeth Taylor's famous portrayal, Cleopatra's looks have been depicted in countless ways throughout the millennia.

By Kaleena Fraga • Jul 20, 2021

What Did Cleopatra Look Like? Inside The Enduring Mystery Of The Iconic Queen’s Real Face

From ancient portraits on coins to Elizabeth Taylor's famous portrayal, Cleopatra's looks have been depicted in countless ways throughout the millennia.

By Kaleena Fraga • July 20, 2021

Meet Wally Funk, The Trailblazing Female Pilot Who Fought For Over 60 Years To Go To Space

In the 1960s, Wally Funk passed NASA’s astronaut tests — beating most of the men in the Project Mercury program. But it took decades before she was ever allowed on a spaceship.

By Genevieve Carlton • Jul 20, 2021

Meet Wally Funk, The Trailblazing Female Pilot Who Fought For Over 60 Years To Go To Space

In the 1960s, Wally Funk passed NASA’s astronaut tests — beating most of the men in the Project Mercury program. But it took decades before she was ever allowed on a spaceship.

By Genevieve Carlton • July 20, 2021

27 Rarely Seen Photos Of ‘High-Society’ Black Women During The Victorian Era

From educators and artists to debutantes and philanthropists, these "Black Victorias" made a name for themselves in both England and the United States.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • Jul 19, 2021

27 Rarely Seen Photos Of ‘High-Society’ Black Women During The Victorian Era

From educators and artists to debutantes and philanthropists, these "Black Victorias" made a name for themselves in both England and the United States.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • July 19, 2021

See A Young Helen Mirren’s Rise To Stardom, From The ‘Sex Queen’ Of London’s Theater Scene To An Honored Dame

These photographs of Helen Mirren from the 1960s and '70s prove that she's always been a timeless beauty — with the acting chops to match.

By Erin Kelly • Jul 15, 2021

See A Young Helen Mirren’s Rise To Stardom, From The ‘Sex Queen’ Of London’s Theater Scene To An Honored Dame

These photographs of Helen Mirren from the 1960s and '70s prove that she's always been a timeless beauty — with the acting chops to match.

By Erin Kelly • July 15, 2021

Ziegfeld Follies: The Opulent Broadway Shows That Dazzled 1920s New York City

From 1907 to 1931, Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. put on a series of extraordinary shows that "glorified" American women and embraced “erotic abandon.”

By Kaleena Fraga • Jul 15, 2021

Ziegfeld Follies: The Opulent Broadway Shows That Dazzled 1920s New York City

From 1907 to 1931, Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. put on a series of extraordinary shows that "glorified" American women and embraced “erotic abandon.”

By Kaleena Fraga • July 15, 2021

Lysol Was Once Used As Birth Control – And Poisoned A Lot Of Women

With few options available to women, Lysol’s advertising as a feminine product made it one of the most popular contraceptive devises around.

By Aimee Lamoureux • Jul 11, 2021

Lysol Was Once Used As Birth Control – And Poisoned A Lot Of Women

With few options available to women, Lysol’s advertising as a feminine product made it one of the most popular contraceptive devises around.

By Aimee Lamoureux • July 11, 2021

Meet Mary Pearcey, The 19th-Century Murderess Who May Have Actually Been ‘Jack The Ripper’

Two years after Jack the Ripper murdered and mutilated five women in London, Mary Pearcey was found guilty of an eerily similar slaying.

By Genevieve Carlton • Jul 9, 2021

Meet Mary Pearcey, The 19th-Century Murderess Who May Have Actually Been ‘Jack The Ripper’

Two years after Jack the Ripper murdered and mutilated five women in London, Mary Pearcey was found guilty of an eerily similar slaying.

By Genevieve Carlton • July 9, 2021

Annie Lee Cooper, The Black Activist John Lewis Revered As ‘Absolutely Fearless’

From marching with Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma to socking a racist cop for trying to keep her from the polls, Annie Lee Cooper fought for the rights of Black Americans with ferocity.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • Jul 8, 2021

Annie Lee Cooper, The Black Activist John Lewis Revered As ‘Absolutely Fearless’

From marching with Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma to socking a racist cop for trying to keep her from the polls, Annie Lee Cooper fought for the rights of Black Americans with ferocity.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo • July 8, 2021

The Extraordinary Life Of Mary McLeod Bethune, The First Black Woman To Lead A Federal Agency

A child of former slaves, Mary McLeod Bethune achieved the near-impossible when she became an advisor to five different U.S. Presidents in the Jim Crow era.

By Genevieve Carlton • Jul 7, 2021

The Extraordinary Life Of Mary McLeod Bethune, The First Black Woman To Lead A Federal Agency

A child of former slaves, Mary McLeod Bethune achieved the near-impossible when she became an advisor to five different U.S. Presidents in the Jim Crow era.

By Genevieve Carlton • July 7, 2021

The Controversial Story Of Gertrude Bell, The British ‘Desert Queen’ Of Iraq

Loathed by British imperialists but beloved by the Iraqis, Gertrude Bell negotiated a sovereign Iraq — while opposing women’s suffrage in her own home country.

By Genevieve Carlton • Jul 6, 2021

The Controversial Story Of Gertrude Bell, The British ‘Desert Queen’ Of Iraq

Loathed by British imperialists but beloved by the Iraqis, Gertrude Bell negotiated a sovereign Iraq — while opposing women’s suffrage in her own home country.

By Genevieve Carlton • July 6, 2021