From @joannechocolat
Élisabeth Thible (1757–1785) was the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon.
She was a professional #opera singer, and during her first flight, sang several operatic duets whilst also feeding the balloon's firebox, dressed as the goddess #Minerva.
Illustration credit: Bernardo França
#CelebratingWomen #Élisabeth_Thible #HotAirBalloon #Hot_Air_Balloon
From @joannechocolat
Caroline Herschel (1750 – 1848) was a German astronomer, whose most significant contributions to #astronomy were the discoveries of several comets, including the periodic comet 35P/Herschel–Rigollet, which bears her name.
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Personal note: I hope these posts whet some appetites! Joanne is limited to less than 300 characters, and there is always SO much more that could be said about these women!
One can start with 'The Comet Sweeper: Caroline Herschel’s Astronomical Ambition' by Claire Brock. It is based substantially on the autobiographical writing of Herschel, but she was sufficiently well-known at the time to be referenced elsewhere, and later in her life she was bestowed with various honours and medals for her astronomical work.
From @joannechocolat, March 17, 2026
Renée Richards (b. 1934) is a former tennis player who fought to compete as a woman in the 1976 US Open.
The New York Supreme Court ruled in her favour, a landmark case in transgender rights.
After retiring from play, she coached Martina Navratilova to two Wimbledon titles.
From @joannechocolat
Elizabeth, Lady Wilbraham (1632 – 1705) was a member of the English aristocracy and a major architectural patron.
Unable to become an #architect because she was a woman, she studied in #Italy and tutored Christopher Wren, who may have been given credit for hundreds of her designs.
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(For those of you who may not know, this series originally began as # Neglected Women & was to highlight women whose achievements have been usurped by men.
It became # CelebratingWomen', which is much more positive, and then became more about remarkable women in general - including many now who are still alive - but it is still interesting to see this calling back to the original idea, and to realise how much of the *full* identity of woman has been lost.)
This ainting of Lady Elizabeth Wilbraham is by Sir Peter Lely, 17th century. (Peter Lely, 1618-1680)
#CelebratingWomen #Christopher_Wren #Architecture #Lady_Elizabeth_Wilbraham #Sir_Peter_Lely
From @joannechocolat
Amina (1533 -1610) was a #Hausa #queen in the city-state of #Zazzau (now #Zaria), in what is now the north-west region of #Nigeria.
A fearsome leader, she built huge fortifications, massively expanded her territory over 35 years and created trade routes throughout Northern #Africa.
From @joannechocolat
Rani Lakshmibai was a leading figure of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British rule.
Born in 1828, she became the queen of #Jhansi after marrying the king, was widowed at a young age and refused to surrender to the British, leading her own army in the rebellion.
From @joannechocolat
Sigríður Tómasdóttir (1871–1957) was an Icelandic environmentalist whose activism helped preserve the Gullfoss waterfalls, protecting them from industrialization.
She is widely seen as Iceland's first #environmentalist and is memorialized on a sculpture near #Gullfoss.
#CelebratingWomen #Sigríður_Tómasdóttir #Iceland #Environmentalism
From @joannechocolat
Raziyyat-Ud-Dunya Wa Ud-Din (1205 – 1240), popularly known as Razia Sultan, was the Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate from 1236 until her deposition in 1240.
She was the first female #Muslim ruler of the subcontinent, and the only female Muslim ruler of #Delhi.
From @joannechocolat, March 23, 2026
#Boran was a #Sasanian #queen of Iran from 630 to 632. She is the second of only three women to rule in Iranian #history.
Though her reign was brief, she brought stability to #Iran by creating just laws, rebuilding the infrastructure, and by lowering taxes and minting #coins.
From @joannechocolat
Jeanne des Armoises (also Claude des Armoises; fl. 1438) was a French adventurer living in the 15th century. She was reportedly a soldier in the Pope's army in Italy, and for a time successfully impersonated Joan of Arc after her execution.
Her Doing