RETROBITUARIES

Photo illustration by Riccardo Zagorodnez, Mental Floss. Plane/landscape, iStock via Getty Images. Portrait, New York Public Library // Public Domain

Bessie Coleman, the Black Cherokee Female Pilot Who Made Aviation History

No aviation schools in America would teach Bessie Coleman how to fly in the 1920s. So, she sailed to France and became the first African American and the first Native American woman to earn a pilot's license.

New York State Military Museum // Public Domain

Henry Johnson, the One-Man Army Who Fought Off Dozens of German Soldiers During World War I

In May 1918, Henry Johnson found himself alone in a French forest with a wounded ally, an empty rifle, and dozens of German soldiers closing in. He didn't run. He fought.

Reconstructing History: Anna Coleman Ladd, the Mask Artist of World War I

An artist and sculptor, Anna Coleman Ladd offered her talents to soldiers who had been badly disfigured fighting in World War I. Her masks helped restore their appearance and their self-confidence.

American writer, journalist, and feminist Dorothy Thompson in London in 1941

Dorothy Thompson, the Journalist Who Warned the World About Adolf Hitler

After this crusading reporter was kicked out of Germany, she continued her anti-Nazi coverage at home.

H.J. Meyers via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Remembering Nellie Bly, Rabblerouser and Pioneer of Investigative Journalism

Clever, gifted, and fearless, Nellie Bly—who was born on May 5, 1864—inspired both journalistic and social change in the late 19th century.

The Charmed Life and Tragic Death of Snake Handler Grace Olive Wiley

Grace Olive Wiley was an unconventional herpetologist whose love affair with snakes—and resistance to safety standards—would end up costing her her life.

Eliza Leslie: The Most Influential Cookbook Writer of the 19th Century

Literature was Eliza Leslie's passion, but her high-quality, distinctly American recipes were her bread and butter.

Lincoln Perry (stage name Stepin Fetchit) circa 1927

Lincoln Perry, the First Black Movie Star

Using the stage name Stepin Fetchit, Perry was the first Black actor to become a millionaire—but today, his legacy is controversial.

Rockfleet Castle, which Grace O’Malley used as a base

Grace O'Malley, the Fearless 16th-Century Irish Pirate Queen Who Stood Up to the English

She debated with Queen Elizabeth I, sat at the head of a prosperous pirate empire, and told the English where to go.

Carl Van Vechten, Wikimedia // Public Domain

Zora Neale Hurston, Genius of the Harlem Renaissance

Despite being a star in her day, writer Zora Neale Hurston—who is best known for her novel 'Their Eyes Were Watching God'—was almost forgotten.

Clarence Birdseye, the Father of the Frozen Foods Industry

Thank him for making tasty frozen pizza a reality.

Photo Illustration by Lucy Quintanilla. Badge: Gift of Dr. Patricia Heaston; Tin: Gift from Dawn Simon Spears and Alvin Spears, Sr.; Sign, Photograph of Walker Agents: Gift of A’Lelia Bundles / Madam Walker Family Archives. All from the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Background/photo border, iStock

Madam C.J. Walker, the First Self-Made Female Millionaire in the U.S.

Her hair care company brought her prosperity—and left an indelible mark on black entrepreneurship.

Lady Death: Lyudmila Pavlichenko, the Greatest Female Sniper of All Time

With 309 confirmed kills, she became a heroic figure to the Soviets—but the American media didn't know what to make of her.

Mary Frith, 17th-Century London's Smoking, Thieving, Foul-Mouthed "Roaring Girl"

She was known on the streets as Moll Cutpurse, for the purse strings she slashed.

Madelyn Pugh Davis, the “Girl Writer” Behind I Love Lucy

She tested most of the slapstick herself.

Bernarr Macfadden: Bodybuilder, Publisher, and Eccentric Prophet of Physical Culture

He helped launch the American obsession with diet and exercise—and the first true confession magazine.

Wellcome Collection // CC BY 4.0 (cropped)

Sushruta, Ancient Indian Surgeon and Father of the Nose Job

He was practicing plastic surgery thousands of years before European surgeons were even washing their hands.

Willem van Haecht. 'The Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest, 1628.' Found in the Collection of Rubenshuis.

John Tradescant, Royal Gardener and Forefather of the Natural History Museum

He created a "world of wonders in one closet shut."

March of Dimes/Library of Congress via Wikimedia // Public Domain

Virginia Apgar, the Woman Whose Name Saves Newborns

The Apgar test has rescued countless infants, but people are often surprised to discover Virginia Apgar was a real person.

Laura de Force Gordon (center) and Susan B. Anthony being escorted to the stage.

Laura de Force Gordon, Pioneering Newspaper Publisher, Lawyer, and Suffragist

When she didn't like how men covered her campaign for Senate, she started her own paper.

The only known photograph of Caroline Weldon (seated), taken in 1915 with her friend Aline Estoppey

Caroline Weldon, 19th Century Indigenous Rights Advocate and Sitting Bull's Secretary

Her courage is reflected in her Sioux nickname, “Woman Walking Ahead."

Christine Granville, World War II Special Agent

The fearless Polish countess became Britain's first female special agent during World War II.

Brooklyn Museum, Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

Emily Warren Roebling, the Woman Who Helped Build the Brooklyn Bridge

With her husband bedridden, Emily Roebling helped keep the dream of the Brooklyn Bridge alive.

Photo illustration by Lucy Quintanilla, Mental Floss. Trains, iStock. Portrait, Project Gutenberg // Public Domain

Leon Ray Livingston, America's Most Famous Hobo

He was the self-proclaimed "King of the Hobos."

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