Women Who Made Science History

Laura Bassi was once called a “monster”. And she was. She was a monster of intellect. In 1732, she became the first female doctor of philosophy at the University of Bologna. Her doctoral degree defense was a highly public event, attended by foreigners, clergy, professors, nobility, and onlookers—yet she was still forbidden from teaching at the university and was deliberately excluded from a prestigious group of academics within the Institute for Science.

It’s not news that women have been denied the same educational and institutional opportunities, resources, and access as men, and that science’s history is often told through the stories of great men, with a few great women making an appearance here and there. But that approach misses the big picture. The history of science isn’t complete without women.

Leila McNeill, an author, editor, and historian of women and gender in science, introduces us to 10 lesser-known women who have, in their own unique ways, shaped the world in which we all live. As you hear about their lives and stories, you’ll discover a more complete picture of science—what science is, how it is done, and who gets to participate. You’ll see that women in science are not anomalies. They aren’t separate from the flow of time and onward march of history. Women, in their own innovative ways, have always played a part in shaping science and, in turn, our world and our understanding of our place in it.