Women's history

The women whose notable contributions to history have shaped the world.
 

Ravensbrück concentration camp

Ravensbruck: The concentration camp for women
Rylan Clark and Professor Alice Roberts stand in front of an old stately home

'It was state-sponsored violence against women': Rylan Clark and Professor Alice Roberts on Essex's witch trials

Sign for Manningtree in Essex which includes an illustration of Matthew Hopkins

Manningtree witch trials: Where the ‘Witchfinder General’ made his name
Black and white photograph of pilot Diana Barnato Walker climbing into the cockpit of a Spitfire

Unsung heroes of WWII: Women of the Air Transport Auxiliary
Black and white portrait photograph of Helen Duncan

Helen Duncan: Was she Britain's last witch?
A plaque on the side of a brick building that reads, 'the Cage mediaeval prison St. Osyth Resident Ursula Kemp was imprisoned here before being hanged as a witch in 1582. It was last used in 1908.'

St Osyth witches: The witch trial that shook a quiet Essex village
Dramatic reconstruction of Agnes Waterhouse looking up at a noose

Chelmsford witch trials: The tragic case of Agnes Waterhouse
Anita Bhagwandas

History's most painful fashion and beauty trends
Black and white tintype of Cynthia Ann Parker in a golden frame

Cynthia Ann Parker and the brave women of the Wild West
Madam C.J Walker

Madam C.J. Walker: History's first female self-made millionaire
Statue of a suffragette holding a banner saying 'COURAGE CALLS TO COURAGE EVERYWHERE'

The suffragette plot to burn down Wimbledon
A marble relief from around the 1st or 2nd century showing two female gladiators fighting

Gladiatrix: Female gladiators in Ancient Rome
Portrait photograph of Sara Forbes Bonetta

Sarah Forbes Bonetta: From slavery to the Queen’s goddaughter
Black and white photograph of Rosalind Franklin looking through a microscope

The remarkable life of Rosalind Franklin
Helen Keller (L) holds Anne Sullivan's (R) hand while she reads a book

The revolutionary life of Helen Keller
Vera Atkins

Vera Atkins: The secret life of a British spy
Valentina Tereshkova portrait photograph in her space suit

Valentina Tereshkova: The first woman in space
Violette Szabo

The short but heroic life of Violette Szabo
Odette Sansom

7 inspirational female spies from World War II
Maj. Charity E. Adams and Capt. Abbie N. Campbell inspect the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion

The untold story of WWII’s all-women postal battalion
Tomoe Gozen Killing Uchida Ieyoshi at Battle of Awazu

8 fearsome female warriors from history 
Maud Gonne

4 forgotten women from history
A colourised print of Mademoiselle Maupin de l'Opéra

The art and lives of 5 LGBT+ women
National League of Women Voters hold up signs reading, 'VOTE', Sept. 17, 1924

Women’s History Month facts: When is Women's History Month 2025?
A portrait of Queen Charlotte with her children

11 facts about Queen Charlotte: Britain's longest reigning female consort
Jacqueline Gold stood in front of an Ann Summers shop

The history of Ann Summers
Violet Jessop

Unsinkable Violet Jessop: Survivor of the Titanic and two other ship disasters
Two female footballers competing for the ball

The modern history of women’s football