Women Who Shaped History but Were Unrecognized ✨
Highlighting women behind major discoveries and achievements often overlooked in history, honoring their silent contributions.
female_tales
53.5K views • Mar 2, 2025
About this video
“For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” – Virginia Woolf
In the comments on my previous post, you mentioned so many women whose discoveries and achievements remained unnoticed. Today, I want to share the stories of four more women whose contributions to science and the arts were stolen, forgotten, or attributed to others.
Mileva Marić (1875–1948)
A Serbian mathematician and one of the first women admitted to the Swiss Federal Polytechnic (ETH Zurich), where she met Albert Einstein.
Mileva was one of the top students, but she never received her degree, likely due to personal struggles and the birth of their first child. Letters between her and Einstein show that they actively discussed scientific ideas. Some historians believe she played a significant role in mathematical calculations, yet her contributions remain overlooked.
She could have made history in physics, but instead, her name faded into obscurity.
Maria Anna Mozart (1751–1829)
The sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, known as Nannerl, was a brilliant pianist and composer, but her talent never received the same recognition as her brother’s.
Until the age of 18, she toured Europe, astonishing audiences, but their father forbade her from performing publicly, believing it was improper for a woman. Unlike Wolfgang, she was denied the opportunity to continue her career.
Her music was lost. We may never know the masterpieces the world missed.
Lise Meitner (1878–1968)
A brilliant physicist and one of the discoverers of nuclear fission.
In 1939, Otto Hahn published the experimental results proving uranium fission. However, it was Meitner who provided the theoretical explanation, linking it to the release of massive energy.
In 1945, Hahn received the Nobel Prize, while her name wasn’t even mentioned. Decades later, her achievements were recognized, and in 1949 she was awarded the Max Planck Medal, followed by the Enrico Fermi Award in 1966. However, she never received the Nobel recognition she deserved.
Alice Ball (1892–1916)
An American chemist who, at just 23, developed the first effective treatment for leprosy, saving thousands of lives.
She discovered a way to make chaulmoogra oil injectable and medically effective, but she passed away before publishing her findings. Arthur Dean, later the president of the University of Hawaii, took credit for her work, and the method became known as the “Dean Method.”
For nearly 90 years, the university failed to acknowledge her contribution. Only in 2000 was a plaque dedicated to her, and February 29 was declared Alice Ball Day.
In the comments on my previous post, you mentioned so many women whose discoveries and achievements remained unnoticed. Today, I want to share the stories of four more women whose contributions to science and the arts were stolen, forgotten, or attributed to others.
Mileva Marić (1875–1948)
A Serbian mathematician and one of the first women admitted to the Swiss Federal Polytechnic (ETH Zurich), where she met Albert Einstein.
Mileva was one of the top students, but she never received her degree, likely due to personal struggles and the birth of their first child. Letters between her and Einstein show that they actively discussed scientific ideas. Some historians believe she played a significant role in mathematical calculations, yet her contributions remain overlooked.
She could have made history in physics, but instead, her name faded into obscurity.
Maria Anna Mozart (1751–1829)
The sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, known as Nannerl, was a brilliant pianist and composer, but her talent never received the same recognition as her brother’s.
Until the age of 18, she toured Europe, astonishing audiences, but their father forbade her from performing publicly, believing it was improper for a woman. Unlike Wolfgang, she was denied the opportunity to continue her career.
Her music was lost. We may never know the masterpieces the world missed.
Lise Meitner (1878–1968)
A brilliant physicist and one of the discoverers of nuclear fission.
In 1939, Otto Hahn published the experimental results proving uranium fission. However, it was Meitner who provided the theoretical explanation, linking it to the release of massive energy.
In 1945, Hahn received the Nobel Prize, while her name wasn’t even mentioned. Decades later, her achievements were recognized, and in 1949 she was awarded the Max Planck Medal, followed by the Enrico Fermi Award in 1966. However, she never received the Nobel recognition she deserved.
Alice Ball (1892–1916)
An American chemist who, at just 23, developed the first effective treatment for leprosy, saving thousands of lives.
She discovered a way to make chaulmoogra oil injectable and medically effective, but she passed away before publishing her findings. Arthur Dean, later the president of the University of Hawaii, took credit for her work, and the method became known as the “Dean Method.”
For nearly 90 years, the university failed to acknowledge her contribution. Only in 2000 was a plaque dedicated to her, and February 29 was declared Alice Ball Day.
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Published
Mar 2, 2025
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