Women in History

March is Women in History Month, so I'd just like to take a moment to say thank you to those who came before us.

The original Lola Montez was born in Ireland but went on to make a name for herself on 4 different Continents.

I am often asked why I chose a courtesan for the Lola Montez Brand so if you've ever wondered here is why:

Courtesans were the first women to be educated. They were the first women who were allowed into libraries and to own property in their own name. They were also the first women to be lobbyists and they understood the art of love. I suppose I also resonate with them because they lived by their own rules and always lived on the fringes of polite society.

In many ways they led the way for gender equality.

Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden are two other women who showed that nothing can keep a good woman down. You’ll recognize their names from the cosmetic industry. They were both multi- millionaires on four continents before women had the vote!

Today we have Oprah who blazed her way into television, radio and print media.

But what about all the others who we should know but don’t. Marie Curie, Physicist, she pioneered the study of radioactivity. She won two Nobel Prizes, the first person to do so. She was also the first woman to win one.

Rosalind Franklin, a British biophysicist who helped discover the shape of DNA and Maxine Singer who helped unlock the secrets of genetic code. Lise Meitner with her colleague Otto Hahn discovered nuclear fusion.

Maria Mitchell was an astronomer discovered a comet known as ‘Miss Mitchell’s Comet’. She was the first woman to become a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Shirley Ann Jackson besides all the work she did as a Physicist was the first African American woman to earn her PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mae Jemison, Astronaut, the first African American woman to travel on board the Space Shuttle Endeavour in September 1992.

Then there are the Primatologists, Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey who transformed the way we study and look at primate behavior.

The suffragettes who went to prison so women today could have the vote. And let us not forget the women who fought in our very own struggle against apartheid. Ruth First, Albertina Sisulu, Helen Suzman and Nadine Gordimer.

To all these women and the thousands of others who remain nameless – Thank you.

Why not add your Wonder Woman to our list.