Long before the rise of the female gender in the past and present centuries, women fought for their place among the greats of the world and paved the way into male-dominated areas of life. At all social levels, the history of humanity is carried forward by women who continue to serve as intergenerational role models to this day. This volume presents a selection of these countless heroines, some of whom—often due to the social circumstances of their respective times—operated largely in obscurity, while others successfully measured their strength against the male gender in full public view.