10 questions · Society & Everyday
This pack brings together women who were the first at something, and almost always where nobody expected them: in the air, at sea, high in the mountains, on the battlefield, on the tennis court. Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932 and vanished over the Pacific five years later, a mystery that remains unsolved. Junko Tabei, thought sickly as a child, became the first woman on the summit of Everest in 1975, only days after surviving an avalanche. Zheng Yi Sao commanded tens of thousands of pirates off the Chinese coast and, unlike almost all of them, died rich and in her bed after negotiating an amnesty with the emperor. Eleonore Prochaska, the “Joan of Arc of Potsdam”, fought Napoleon disguised as a man in 1813; her secret came out only when she was mortally wounded. In sport the list is just as stubborn. Billie Jean King won the “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973 in front of millions and made a Grand Slam tournament finally pay women the same prize money as men. Steffi Graf won the only Golden Slam to date in 1988. Serena Williams won the 2017 Australian Open while eight weeks pregnant. Simone Biles performs skills that carry her name. And Diana Nyad swam from Cuba to Florida at the age of 64, on her fifth attempt and 35 years after her first.
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Amelia Earhart
In 1937 she vanished while attempting to fly around the world.
💡 Did you know? Her disappearance over the Pacific remains unsolved to this day.
Zheng Yi Sao
At her peak she controlled tens of thousands of pirates and hundreds of ships.
💡 Did you know? She eventually negotiated an amnesty and died wealthy.
Eleonore Prochaska
Known as the 'Joan of Arc of Potsdam'.
💡 Did you know? Her sex was only discovered when she was wounded.
Simone Biles
Many regard her as the greatest gymnast in history.
💡 Did you know? Several elements so hard they officially bear her name.
Junko Tabei
The Japanese climber later summited the highest peak on every continent.
💡 Did you know? She survived an avalanche shortly before the summit.
Diana Nyad
The US long-distance swimmer succeeded on her fifth attempt in 2013.
💡 Did you know? More than 30 years passed between her first and last attempt.
Billie Jean King
She is an icon in the fight for equality in sport.
💡 Did you know? She beat Bobby Riggs in front of a huge TV audience.
Serena Williams
She is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
💡 Did you know? She won one Grand Slam title while pregnant.
Steffi Graf
The German was world number one for many years.
💡 Did you know? She is married to tennis star Andre Agassi.
Thérèse Figueur
She was wounded several times and was taken prisoner in Spain.
💡 Did you know? Her nickname “Sans-Gêne” (the unabashed) later became famous through a play about a different woman.
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