My Science School

Sojourner Truth was a woman of remarkable intelligence despite her illiteracy. She was born a slave, and her real name was Isabella Baum free. She was sold several times before slavery was abolished in 1827 in New York.

Inspired by religion, Truth transformed herself from a domestic servant named Isabella into a powerful preacher named Sojourner Truth. She had great presence. She was tall- some 5 feet 11 inches in height. Her voice was low, and her singing voice was marvellous. Whenever she spoke in public, she also sang. No one ever forgot the power of Sojourner Truth’s singing, just as her wit and originality of phrasing were also memorable. She became an outspoken advocate of women’s rights as well as blacks’ rights. Truth became a national symbol for strong black women, indeed, for all strong women, and her words have inspired black women and poor people all over the world to this day. 

Olympe de Gouges was born to working class parents, but took her place amidst the French intellectuals who advocated the French Revolution. She was a popular playwright, and she strongly advocated the rights of French women. She spoke for not only herself, but many of the women of France, when in 1791 she wrote and published the ‘Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Citizen’. Olympe asserted that woman was not simply the same as man, but that she was his equal partner, and so, she should enjoy the same rights as man. Unfortunately, Olympe was too far ahead of her times. For asserting this equality, and repeating the assertion publicly, Olympe de Gouges was arrested in July 1793, four years after the Revolution. She was sent to the guillotine in November of that year. 

           Sophie Germain was born in an era of revolution. In the year of her birth, the American Revolution began. Thirteen years later, the French Revolution began in her own country. She herself became a revolutionary mathematician, number theorist, and mathematical physicist.

              When Sophie Germain was 13, her parents kept her isolated from the turmoil of the French Revolution by keeping her in the house. She fought boredom by reading from her father’s extensive library. It is said that she read the story of Archimedes of Syracuse who was reading geometry as he was killed - and she decided to commit her life to a subject that could so absorb one’s attention. After discovering geometry, Sophie Germain taught herself mathematics, and also Latin and Greek so that she could read the classical mathematics texts.

            Calling herself M. Le Blanc, Sophie corresponded with many mathematicians and ‘M. Le Blanc’ began to have an impact in turn on them. She gave herself a man’s name, because she felt that a woman’s views on Mathematics would not be taken seriously. However, even when it was discovered that M. Le Blanc was a woman, leading mathematicians continued to correspond with her.

           Before 1808, Germain mainly worked in number theory. Then she became interested in Chladni figures, patterns produced by vibration, and won a prize for a paper on that subject. This work laid the foundation to the applied mathematics used in the construction of skyscrapers today, and was important at the time to the new field of mathematical physics, especially to the study of acoustics and elasticity.

           Sophie Germain was, without doubt, a revolutionary, for she battled against the social prejudices of the era and a lack of formal training in order to become a celebrated mathematician. 

Jeanne d’ Albret was a key leader in the Huguenot party in France in the 16th century. In 1555, Jeanne’s father died, and Jeanne became ruler of Navarre in her own right. Jeanne declared, on Christmas of 1560, her conversion to the reformed faith. In spite of pressures from all quarters, she courageously stuck to her faith, maintained her power, and determinedly fought for the freedom of people from different faiths to live peacefully together. Jeanne always acted according to her conscience, fulfilling her duties as a queen, and her responsibilities as a mother who had to bring up a future king. 

                   Judith Sargent Murray was an eighteenth-century writer known for her essays on education for women, on equality, and on economic independence for all people. She has a series of ‘firsts’ to her name. Judith was the first American woman to self-publish a book, one of the first American writers of plays, and the first woman to have a play produced on stage in America. She was also the first to claim female equality in print, and the only eighteenth century woman to have kept ‘letter books’ in a consistent manner.

                  In 1773 or 1774, at about the age of twenty-three, Judith decided to start making copies of the letters she sent to family, friends, political leaders, and business acquaintances. As a self-taught student of history, she knew the importance of documentation. She understood that momentous political and intellectual changes were taking place. And so, she began to create what would become twenty volumes of letters – left behind for future generations. She was, without doubt, a remarkable person, and one of America’s earliest champions of female equality, education, economic independence, and political engagement.

 

Queen Isabella was the Queen of Castile, who, along with her husband, King Ferdinand of Aragon, financed Christopher Columbus’ expedition to the Indies, which resulted in the discovery of America. She was the half sister of Henry IV, who succeeded to the Castilian throne in 1454. Henry had recognized Isabella as his heir, but when she married Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469, Henry conferred the succession on his daughter. This led to a civil war when Henry died.

The civil war ended with Isabella’s victory in 1479, the year in which Ferdinand became king of Aragon. Isabella and Ferdinand ruled Castile and Aragon jointly, and their reign in effect, marked the beginning of the unified Spanish kingdom. Isabella confiscated the lands of many rich people. She also took over the administration of the holdings of the powerful religious military orders, and was a prime mover in the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, the conquest of Granada, and the forced conversion of the Moors. In what was Isabel’s last decade, she acquired paintings and tapestries by Flemish masters and devotional books from the new printing presses, to bring the Renaissance to Spain too.

With the discovery of America, thanks to Isabella’s courage and foresight in giving Columbus the funds for his venture, Spain began its rise to greatness. Under Isabella’s guidance, Spain’s army and navy became strong, trade flourished, and Spain became a world power.

 

          Hatshepsut was the first wife, and Queen of Thutmose II. When he died, she proclaimed herself Pharaoh, denying the old king’s son his inheritance. Hatshepsut was a very unique and intelligent individual. She used various strategies to legitimize her position as pharaoh. She claimed God told her to rule as the king, and so she took on several male adornments while she ruled Egypt. Unlike most women of that time, she attached a false beard, wore male clothing, and was depicted in statutes as a pharaoh, and not as a queen.

          Hatshepsut remained in power for twenty years, and during this time the Egyptian economy flourished. She ordered the army to make it useful, not by going to battle, but by setting off on a trading expedition to the land of Punt, where no Egyptian had been for more than 500 years.

          The expedition was an enormous success, and enhanced Hatshepsut’s reputation. She became known as the ruler who had reached out to foreign countries, and who had delivered to the Egyptians marvellous wonders from far away. 

Trota, who is also known as Trotula, lived sometime in the eleventh century in Salerno in Southern Italy. At that time, Salerno was famous for its hospitals, and the first medical school was established there. Many women were trained as physicians, and were professors of medicine.

Trotula was one of the most famous physicians of that time. Her main interest was to alleviate the suffering of women. She was the author of many medical works, including a book on the diseases of women. She wrote it to educate male doctors about the female body, because such knowledge was generally lacking.

The book comprises 63 chapters, and gives a lot of information about the medical problems faced by women. The majority of the remedies that she recommends are herbs, spices, and oils. Her work influenced physicians in the centuries to come. There is no doubt that Trotula was instrumental in bringing about a change in society due to her scientific revelations.

‘The Tale of Genji’ is a Japanese epic that is divided into 54 books or episodes. The action covers the better part of a century, with over 400 characters spanning four generations. The hero, Hikaru Genji or the Shining One, seeks love and happiness driven by the haunting image of his dead mother. Because of his exuberant personality Genji becomes very popular. But the novel that begins with the enchanting atmosphere of a fairy tale ends in the most complex psychological analysis of unhappy people shrouded in blackest gloom.

 

Murasaki Shikibu is one of Japan’s best known writers. In fact, many consider her to be the world’s first modern novelist. Her book, ‘The Tale of Genji’, is the world’s first psychological novel, and one of the longest, and most distinguished masterpieces of Japanese literature.

When she was in her early twenties, Murasaki was married to a distant relative. Her only daughter was born in 999. After the death of her husband in 1001 AD, knowing of her writing talent and her brilliant mind, the imperial family brought Lady Murasaki to court. While at the court, she kept a dairy that gives us vivid insights into life in the imperial court.

‘The Tale of Genji’ is loosely based on her years as lady-in-waiting to the Empress Akiko. It is a very long novel about complications in the life of a fictitious prince called Genji. Like many of the court ladies, Shikibu was a master at observing the daily activities and attitudes of upper class society. Among the novel’s chief delights are the portraits of the women in Prince Genji’s life. These women are individually described, with their aristocratic refinements, talents in the arts of music and poetry, and love for the beauties of nature. As the work nears its conclusion, the tone becomes more mature and somber, shaded by Buddhist judgments on the fleeting joys of earthly existence. The novel has been translated into many languages and been studied through the ages.

Princess Olga lived between 890 and 969, and was the first female Russian ruler. For almost twenty years, she ruled Kievan Rus. Her very first act as a ruler was to take bloody revenge against the Drevlians, the people who had killed her husband, Prince Igor. Olga took revenge on the Drevlians by having their envoys killed, and their towns burned. She then abolished the annual tribute-collecting journeys made by the Kievan princes, and replaced it with a uniform system of taxation and special government tax-collectors.

Princess Olga’s son was only three years old, when his father died. So, Olga ruled the country in his name, with the full support of the army. She was a very active ruler who travelled incessantly around the country, trying to improve life in her realm. Around 957, Olga travelled to Constantinople and was baptized in the Christian faith, under the sponsorship of the Byzantine emperor. Her baptism did not lead to the conversion of her people, but established the Eastern Orthodox Church in Russia.

In fact, she was the very first ruler of Kiev who converted to Christianity. The Orthodox Church proclaimed Olga a saint. Did you know that the name ‘Olga’ actually means ‘a saint’? So it seems as though she was destined to become one from the time she was named! 

                Queen Victoria was only 18, when she came to the throne of Britain, and she reigned for 64 years. In fact, she ruled for so long that her reign became known as the Victorian era.

                At the age of 21, Victoria married her cousin, Albert of Saxe-Coburg, Gotha, a German Prince. Victoria had nine children, 40 grand-children and 37 great-grandchildren, scattered all over Europe. Most of Queen Victoria’s children married into other royal families of Europe.

               Whilst Victoria was queen, there was a tremendous change in the lives of British people: Britain became the most powerful country in the world, with the largest empire that had ever existed, ruling a quarter of the world’s population.

                The number of people living in Britain more than doubled, causing a huge demand for food, clothing and housing. As a result, factories and machines were built to meet this demand, and new towns grew up, changing the landscape and the ways people lived and worked. Railways, originally built to transport goods, now enabled people to travel easily around the country for the first time. In short, Queen Victoria oversaw huge changes in British society ... is it any wonder that she gave her name to an age? 

Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Connecticut, U.S.A., into a large family. She was named after her aunt, Harriet Foote, who influenced deeply her thinking, especially with her strong belief in culture. In 1834, Stowe began her literary career when she won a prize contest of the Western Monthly Magazine. Soon, Stowe was a regular contributor of stories and essays. Her first book, ‘The May flower’, appeared in 1843.

Stowe published over 30 books, but her most famous book is undoubtedly the children’s book ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’. It is the story of a pious slave called Uncle Tom, and Stowe’s book is very important, because it showed the nation how cruel the system of slavery was. Uncle Tom’s Cabin became an instant best seller, and millions of copies of the book have been sold.

          Jane Austen had a life long love of literature, and began writing at an early age. She was one of eight children of a clergyman, and grew up in a close-knit family. At 15, she was writing plays and sketches for the amusement of her family, and by the time she was 21, she had begun to write novels that are among the finest in English literature. Her books set among the English middle and upper classes, are notable for their wit, social observation and insights into the lives of early 19th century women.

          Jane’s first novel, ‘Sense and Sensibility’, appeared in 1811. Her next novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’, received highly favourable reviews. ‘Mans-field Park’ was published in 1814, then ‘Emma’ in 1816. In 1816, Jane began to suffer from ill-health, and she died a year later. Two more of her novels, ‘Persuasion’ and ‘Northanger Abbey’ were published after her death, and a final novel was left incomplete.

          Jane Austen is considered one of the best woman authors of all time. Her homey realism was a change from the melodramatic fiction being written at the turn of the eighteenth century. Her writing is described as a comedy of manners in middle-class England, and her works were, and still are, hugely popular.

Mary Wollstonecraft was an English philosopher and writer. Her life was not an easy one. Her father was often violent and reckless with money. He also showed a marked preference for her brother, which made her life at home quite miserable. As a result, she became an early feminist who denied male supremacy, and advocated equal education and opportunities for women. She was one of the first people to argue for gender equality, and is best remembered for her work ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman,’ written in 1792. She led a radical and exciting life, mainly in London, but with significant time in France during the Revolution, and with life-changing visits to Ireland, Lisbon, Derbyshire, and Scandinavia.

Mary was an inspiring teacher and an innovative educationalist, arguing for equal education for girls and boys. She drew out the spirit and curiosity of children without stifling them. Later, she created a career for herself as a writer, one of the first women to do so, starting off with reviews and translations. For a long time, Mary supported her parents, brothers and sisters with the money she earned from her writing. She was truly a one woman revolution in herself!