Legendary women of the world. The most beautiful women of all time. The Magical Worlds of JK Rowling

Conflicts between men and women for a place in the sun will never go away. Fortunately, the “weaker” sex has long proven that in matters of survival it is not so weak at all. There is not a single branch of science, not a single profession, not a single type of activity left that a woman has not mastered. Let's remember the most successful female representatives at the forefront of the "success" ratings.

The most famous women of Russia

Our native country is wide, its open spaces are great... How many brilliant poets, writers, warriors and female athletes history has given us!

1. Princess Olga became famous thanks to her reforms, which became a turning point in the history of Rus'. To this day, our contemporaries admire her decisive actions, and even in history textbooks a separate chapter is dedicated to the consideration of her life. After visiting Constantinople, the princess was the first in Rus' to convert to Christianity. It was she who contributed to the spread of Christian commandments among the common people. The princess has been canonized by the Orthodox Church, and the Order of the Holy Princess Olga has even been established in Ukraine.
2. Ekaterina Vorontsova-Dashkova. Maid of honor and confidant of Empress Catherine II. She took an active part in the coup d'etat of 1762, actually changing the course of the history of the Russian state. She also made a significant contribution to the spread of literacy among the peasant people. It is to Vorontsova that we owe the appearance of the letter “e” in the alphabet.
3. Under Catherine the Great, the state's borders were significantly expanded in several directions at once. The Empress skillfully controlled the guards thanks to her rare charm. She was smart and educated, well versed in politics and science. She actively promoted the spread of literacy, encouraged the nobility, and was generous to her favorites. During her reign, the state rose from its knees after a period of long palace coups.

Prominent relatives of Ivan the Terrible

There are many famous women in the history of the Middle Ages. For example, Elena Glinskaya, mother of the infamous Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible. It is also considered the mother of Russian artillery. She encouraged the development of science and writing in every possible way. But her main act was the creation of the Streletsky and Pushkarsky orders in Russia, which laid the foundation for the formation of artillery regiments.

Sofia Paleolog is a famous Russian woman, Grand Duchess of Moscow, mother of Vasily the Third and grandmother of Ivan the Terrible. Thanks to her, Russia has a double-headed eagle on its coat of arms, Moscow acquired the Kremlin, and the people acquired the infamous library of Ivan the Fourth.

Women Nobel laureates

The Nobel Prize is the world's most prestigious award for scientists and artists. Awarded for truly outstanding discoveries that can once and for all change the course of history and put the entire planet on edge. Famous women of the world have repeatedly become laureates and winners of the award.

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie is a famous female chemist and physicist. Twice Nobel Prize winner in physics and chemistry. Her research shed light on the nature of radiation. She discovered and studied the properties of the elements radium and polonium. The death of this woman was a tragic consequence of her work: Maria never wore protection when working with radioactive elements and died at a relatively young age from leukemia.

• Selma Ottilie Lovisa Lagerlöf is a Swedish writer, organizer of the pacifist movement and author of scientific and educational books for children. She became the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Selma's main and most popular work is "The Amazing Journey of Nils Holgersson through Sweden."
• Irène Joliot-Curie is a French woman who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with F. Joliot “For the synthesis of new radioactive elements.” Eldest daughter of Marie Skłodowska-Curie. Irene, alas, like her mother, died of leukemia due to constant prolonged contact with radioactive elements, the influence of which provokes oncology.
• Grazia Delleda is a writer, author of the novel “Honest Souls” and a number of other world-famous literary works, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Female gender and science

Besides the well-known Marie Curie, there are less famous women in the world of science. However, this does not detract from the importance of their discoveries and research. The merits of many of them have never received due recognition and appreciation.

An ordinary Englishwoman, Rosalind Franklin, worked for many years in a biophysics laboratory. It is to her that the world owes the discovery of the structure of DNA. Rosalind's precise laboratory experiments and her x-ray imaging of DNA, which demonstrated the convoluted structure, made the work so significant. In 1962, he received the Nobel Prize for the discovery of DNA. Alas, Rosalind died three years earlier from cancer, and the prize is not awarded posthumously.

The first German woman professor, Lise Meitner, studied physics along with the largest scientific luminaries in Europe. She made a huge contribution to the study of the atomic nucleus, but was not even nominated for a Nobel Prize for her services. Element 109 of the periodic table, meitnerium, was named in honor of Liz.

The most famous Olympic champions

Larisa Latynina: 9 gold medals, 5 silver, 4 bronze. Soviet gymnast, Honored Master of Sports. Has the absolute majority of Olympic medals.

Bridget Schmidt-Fischer has 8 gold and 4 silver medals. Considered the best canoeist of all time. In terms of the number of Olympic medals won by a woman, she is second only to Larisa Latynina.

Jenny Thompson is a ten-time Olympic champion. Has 8 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze medals. US-born Thomson is the world's most famous female swimmer.

Vera Caslavska is a gymnast originally from Czechoslovakia. She won 7 gold and 4 silver medals during her sports career.

Lyubov Egorova is a world famous skier. During her sports career she won six Olympic gold medals. Honored Master of Sports of Russia, multiple world champion. Hero of the Russian Federation “For outstanding achievements in sports, courage and heroism shown at the XVII Winter Olympic Games in 1994.” Egorova is one of the most famous women in Russia. Married, has two adult sons.

Women authors in the world of literature

Who better to write stories with meaning than the most famous women writers? Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, George Sand, Charlotte Bronte, Agatha Christie, Margaret Mitchell, Astrid Lindgren, JK Rowling and many others.

All of them contributed to the diversity of literary images and the development of the genre. Let's look at the fates of some of them.

The Magical Worlds of JK Rowling

This modest Englishwoman never thought of connecting her life with a writing career. As a child, she had a hard time with her mother’s illness. Her studies at school were not going well, and her first husband and father of her daughter kicked them out onto the street after a quarrel. Lonely and unemployed, Joan gained popularity overnight when the publisher released her first novel about the adventures of the boy wizard Harry Potter.

Today, Rowling is the owner of a multimillion-dollar fortune and is included in the list of the most famous and famous women in Great Britain.

The Hard Way of Margaret Mitchell

The author of the cult novel Gone with the Wind has come a long way before becoming a world-famous writer. She worked as a journalist, then as a leading reporter. The first marriage failed; while in her second marriage, Margaret suffered an ankle injury that was incompatible with her work as a journalist. She had to settle at home. Occupy yourself with previously despised household chores.

Sitting at home, she wrote one novel for ten years. This is how the book “Gone with the Wind”, which became a cult book, was published. In 1937, the novel received the Pulitzer Prize. Despite tearful requests from fans to write another novel or a sequel about the life of Scarlett's children, Margaret never began working on new works.

Astrid Lindgren: fairy tales for children and more

Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia is a Swedish writer, author of more than 10 story books for children. Her works are imbued with fantasy, warmth and kindness. Pippi Longstocking, Carlson - these characters were born on the pages of her works. Her stories have been translated into 70 languages ​​and published in more than 100 countries. In the Soviet Union, many children grew up reading fairy tales about Carlson and Pippi; these books were filmed more than once, and popular cartoons were produced based on them.

In her home country (Sweden), Astrid is a living legend. She inspired with her example and consoled more than one generation of readers, and took part in the political life of the country. On the day of her death, national mourning was declared.

The most famous actresses in the world

Speaking about famous women of the world, it would be strange not to touch upon cinema. Beautiful actresses have captured their film images for centuries. Fans will be looking at their photographs for decades to come and discussing their star roles and the names of famous female actresses.

Vivien Leigh, Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner... Films with the participation of all these actresses will be watched for decades to come. Meanwhile, many of them had a sad fate and a thorny path to glory.

Marilyn Monroe and Mr President

Norma Jeane (real name Marilyn) had a successful career before meeting future US President John F. Kennedy. Their romance was long and stormy, but politics demanded complete dedication from John. The image of Marilyn - a frivolous, stupid and sexy blonde - was inappropriate and harmed Kennedy's reputation. Evil tongues claim that he never loved Marilyn, an affair with her was just another way of self-affirmation.

At the age of 36, the most famous blonde woman committed suicide by swallowing pills due to an unsuccessful love for Kennedy. There are still rumors that it was not suicide, but a planned murder. We will never know the truth.

Vivien Leigh as an example of a dizzying career

The role of mother and wife was never enough for this woman. She wanted to be an actress, she wanted worldwide recognition. When her daughter was two years old, Vivienne starred in a cameo role in the film Things Are Looking Up. After that, there were dozens of roles in the theater, star roles with the best Hollywood directors, and two unsuccessful marriages.

Her biography is an example of determination, loyalty to a dream and perseverance. During her career, Vivienne starred in 52 films, received an Oscar, and actively participated in theatrical productions. She died in 1967 from pulmonary tuberculosis.

Famous female models

In the middle of the last century, the fashionable profession of a model appeared. It consisted of demonstrating new styles of clothing on the catwalk. With the development of the media, and then the Internet, another prestigious and sought-after profession appeared - photo model.

Who doesn't know the "five supermodels": Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford and Eva Herzigova? Their names will forever remain associated with the podium, fame and admiration of the most enviable men in the world. Every magazine was full of photos of famous female supermodels; the world's most famous photographers dreamed of taking them.

The biographies of these women after leaving the podium were quite successful. Cindy Crawford is now happily married and has two children, who are already taking their first steps in the modeling business.

Naomi Campbell - the "black panther", as journalists nicknamed her - lives her life in the best places on the globe with the best men and does not deny herself anything. She is still actively invited as a guest star at fashion shows and for filming music videos. She leads an active social life.

Eva Herzigova is fluent in four languages. This allows her to move freely around the globe and not experience difficulties with communication. Eva also sought to make a career as an actress, but things did not work out. Now she is married and leads a quiet lifestyle.

Claudia Schiffer is the record holder for the number of magazine covers decorated with her face. More than 900 issues of fashion magazines invited her to shoot as a “cover star.” Today she is happily married, raising children and occasionally appears in German secular society.

The Pakistani girl became famous throughout the world at the age of 11 thanks to her blog, in which she talked about the atrocities of the Taliban who captured the village where Malala lived. The girl wrote about how the Taliban prohibit women from receiving education and do not recognize their universal human rights and freedoms. A year later, militants identified the author of the blog and shot Malala on a city bus, injuring several more people. The girl miraculously survived, was transported to the UK and was awarded the National Pakistani Youth Peace Prize. At the age of 16, Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, making her the youngest laureate in history. Malala is now 18 years old and works in Lebanon, opening schools for girls there.

2. Irena Sendler

A doctor from Warsaw, during the Second World War she worked in the Warsaw Ghetto, where she cared for sick children. With the help of various tricks, forgeries, and substitution of documents, Irena took 2,500 Jewish children out of the ghetto. The babies were given sleeping pills, placed in small boxes with holes in them to prevent them from suffocating, and taken out in cars that carried disinfectants to the camp. Some children were taken out through the basements of houses directly adjacent to the ghetto. Gutters were also used for escapes. Other children were carried out in bags, baskets, and cardboard boxes. Risking her life, she kept lists of those rescued, and after the war she tracked down almost everyone to make sure that their lives were going well. In 1965, the Israeli Holocaust Museum Yad Vashem awarded Irena Sendler the title of Righteous Among the Nations.

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3. Maria Skłodowska-Curie

A great physicist and chemist, Maria is the only woman in the world to have been awarded the Nobel Prize twice (for the discovery of radioactivity and the discovery of the elements polonium and radium). During the First World War, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, already a recognized scientist and Nobel laureate, as director of the Red Cross Radiology Service, began equipping and maintaining portable X-ray machines for examining the wounded. Marie Curie invested almost all the funds from both Nobel Prizes into the creation of these devices. Interestingly, Marie Sklodowska-Curie is also the only female winner of two Nobel Prizes, whose daughter also received a Nobel Prize in the same chemistry as her mother.

4. Margaret Hamilton

Margaret led a team of software engineers on NASA's Apollo space project. The most famous was the photograph of Margaret next to a printout of the program code that she wrote.

5. Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank is considered the most tragic and most reliable evidence of the horrors of Nazism. During the war years, the female part of Anna’s family hid in the basement, and the Jewish girl wrote almost every day in her notebook about everything she saw around. The diary was preserved miraculously: Anna, her mother and sisters were found and deported to Auschwitz. None of them survived. Anna's diary was found by a random girl who was impressed by what she read, managed to find Anna's relatives and gave the diary to them. Anne Frank's diary was one of 35 objects included in the Memory of the World register of the UNESCO World Heritage List.

6. Katrin Schwitzer

Catherine's dream was always to run a marathon alongside men (in the 1960s, women were not allowed to participate in these races). Catherine took the start line in 1967 and ran the marathon, despite the organizers' attempts to force her off the course. After Katrin’s impressive results, within 5 years women received the right to participate in marathons on an equal basis with men.

7. Rosa Lee Parks

The first black woman to publicly refuse to acknowledge white supremacy. On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, Rose refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. Rose's riot was supported not only by other passengers on the bus, but also by the townspeople; she received the nickname “Black Rose of Freedom.” For 381 days, all black residents of Montgomery did not use public transportation in support of Rosa and her position. On December 20, 1956, city bus segregation in Montgomery was desegregated by law.

8. Ana-Vasilikia Aslan

A famous woman doctor from Romania who founded the world's first institute of gerontology and geriatrics (the study of aging processes). And it all started with the fact that in 1946, a 140-year-old man who lived in the forest and until the age of 98 dragged huge logs on his shoulders came to her as an ordinary doctor. Ana-Vasilicia became interested in the phenomenon of longevity and studied the habits, daily routine and diet of her patient for 4 years - until his death. Aslan was the first to note that eating organic foods, lots of physical activity and clean air play a decisive role.

9. Bertha von Suttner

In 1889, Bertha von Suttner published the book “Down with Arms!” (“Die Waffen nieder!”), in which she told about the life of a young woman whose fate was crippled by the European wars of the 60s of the 19th century. This passionate protest against the war, written with great knowledge of the matter and a huge stock of observations, a protest from the point of view of a wife, mother and family who suffered much from the horrors of war, brought her enormous popularity. Nobel himself read the book, contacted Bertha and promised her to establish a new category for his prize - the Peace Prize. It was Bertha who became the first laureate in this category and the second woman in history to receive such a high award.

10. Valentina Tereshkova

The world's first female cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union, candidate of technical sciences, professor and 10th cosmonaut in the world. Despite the very difficult flight and the negative reaction of scientists to the very fact of sending women into space, after Tereshkova’s flight the right to work in space teams was assigned to representatives of the fair sex, and already in 1982 the second female cosmonaut, Svetlana Savitskaya, ascended into orbit.

11. Sofia Ionescu

Sofia was born and raised in Bucharest, trained as a doctor and was working as a surgeon when World War II began. The men went to the front, and she was actually left as the only specialist in the clinic. During the bombing, she continued to operate, improving her skills, and once saved the life of a boy by performing brain surgery under difficult conditions. Sofia became the world's first neurosurgeon - among men and women. For 47 years she has not been unfaithful to her native clinic No. 9. An interesting fact in Sofia’s biography is her involvement in the treatment of the beloved wife of the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi. According to the laws of Islam, a male doctor could not operate on a sheikh, and besides Sofia, there were no specialists of the required level in the world. Until the end of her life, the sheikh showered her with gratitude and sent her expensive gifts, but Sofia invested all her money in the development of medicine.

12. Nadia Comaneci

The famous Romanian gymnast, five-time Olympic champion, the most titled Romanian athlete in the history of the Olympics, accomplished the impossible: she scored 10.00 points for her performance, despite the fact that even the scoreboard was designed for only 3 digits. The 10.00 points Nadya received when displayed on the scoreboard turned into 1.00 and the stands exploded with indignation. However, the judges explained the situation, and Nadya went down in history. Her record has not yet been broken.

13. Sarla Thakral

Despite the total discrimination against women in India, Sarla managed to obtain a pilot's license back in 1936. True, she was allowed to fly only on cargo and agricultural planes, but this was a huge breakthrough, after which more and more women began to take traditionally male positions in India.

14. Amelia Earhart

The first female pilot to fly the Atlantic Ocean. Amelia was also very gifted literary, she wrote several best-selling books about flights and the life of pilots. Amelia is believed to have paved the way for women into aviation, although to this day the number of female pilots is negligible compared to men.

15. Annette Kellerman

Annette’s action cannot be called a feat, but it would be a mistake to underestimate her courage: she went to the beach for the first time and even took pictures in a swimsuit, which by the standards of 1907 was incredibly, defiantly revealing. Annette was arrested, but outraged protests from women insisting that they had the right to go to public beaches in comfortable but beautiful clothes led to women's swimsuits being allowed worldwide soon after.

16. Komako Kimura

Japanese suffragist who campaigned for women's voting rights. For 10 years, from 1913 to 1923, Komako taught courses called “New Women,” in which she explained to Japanese women why their rights should be the same as their husbands. However, Japanese women received this right only in 1945.

17. Margaret Thatcher

In fact, the first female prime minister with such high authority, the ability to lead the country and fully participate in all political and economic processes. Under Thatcher, the country's economy grew three times faster than usual, and she herself became a model of a female politician, giving many other female representatives a chance to break into the highest echelons of power.

18. Mother Teresa

The girl, who voluntarily took monastic vows and left for impoverished Calcutta, spent 20 years caring for the poor, the destitute, the sick and lepers. Single-handedly she founded the Congregation of Mercy. Now this charitable organization has about 300 thousand members in 80 countries, it is a global network of orphanages, shelters, hospitals, and leper colonies. In Kolkata alone, a rehabilitation center for lepers simultaneously treats 10,000 people and trains them in various home-based jobs.

19. Ellen DeGeneres

In 1997, American TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres staged a large-scale coming out. She appeared on the cover of Time with the quote, “Yes, I'm a lesbian,” and later came out to her psychoanalyst, played by Oprah Winfrey, on Ellen. It was my first coming out and an incredible challenge to society. After Ellin’s revelation, such confessions ceased to be rare and shock society. For 11 years now, Ellen has had an affair with actress Portia De Rossi. On August 16, 2008, after the ban on same-sex marriage was lifted in California, the girls got married.

20. Golda Meir

The 5th Prime Minister of Israel was born in Ukraine as the seventh child in the family. Five of her older siblings died at an early age due to lack of normal living conditions and illnesses. Golda herself almost died of hunger; due to persecution based on her ethnicity, she fled to Israel and vowed to devote her life to ensuring that not a single person suffered from Nazism, xenophobia, and had acceptable living conditions and a guarantee of safety. Golda Meir became the only woman among the signers of the Israeli Declaration of Independence, the first Israeli ambassador to the USSR and, finally, the first female prime minister.

21. Gloria Steinem

Her father abandoned Gloria and her seriously ill mother without a penny of money. From an early age, the girl was forced to work, care for her sick mother and face constant discrimination. Gloria became a journalist and politician, leader of the feminist movement. Thanks to her activity, politicians began to discuss programs such as “Free family planning by women” and “Democracy of the family with the division of family responsibilities between husband and wife.” Gloria is considered one of the most effective feminist activists.

22. Anne Rand

Born Alisa Zinovievna Rosenbaum, after the Bolshevik Revolution, she emigrated to the United States, where she received an education and became a popular writer. Anne saw the main problem of all humanity in the fact that the state promotes the position of serving a person to the country, while it should be the other way around. Rand's seven most famous books (We the Living, Hymn, The Fountainhead, and The Virtue of Selfishness) have sold 50 million copies each. And the novel Atlas Shrugged was awarded as the greatest philosophical epic work in history.

23. Linda Joy Wachner

Linda is called the woman who gave birth to the term self-made person (a person who has achieved everything on his own). At the age of 11, Linda suffered a spinal injury and was bedridden. The doctors said that the girl would never walk, but Linda replied: “I swear to you, I will not just walk, but conquer peaks.” After 2 years of hard training, Linda took her first steps. Fate was cruel to her: her husband died when Linda was 20 years old, literally after him, her parents and sister left one after another. Vachner decided that she would achieve everything alone. She got a job as an errand girl in a trading company, learned on the go, and a few years later she was already the director of the successful Warnaco company, which was the leader in the consumer market in New York and other major US cities. In 1986, she was recognized as “Woman of the Year”, and 6 years later - “America’s Most Successful Business Woman.” It was Wachner’s example that inspired many businesswomen; it was she who proved that a person does not need patronage and inheritance to become successful.

24. Rita Levi-Montalcini

An Italian neuroscientist and Nobel Prize laureate, Rita devoted her entire life to scientific developments, and sent all the money that her research brought her to a charitable foundation she created that finances the construction of schools in developing countries and the attraction of teachers who could give more to children living in squalid conditions and deprived of access to information. Rita became the first woman to be admitted to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences; and in 2001 she was appointed senator for life of the Italian Republic.

25. Hedy Lamarr

An Austrian and then American film actress, popular in the 1930s and 1940s, Hedy was interested in... new ways of encoding signals. After leaving her career, she completely went into science, and as a result, she developed a method of data transmission that could not be drowned out by interference. Hedy's invention saved many US Navy ships during World War II and later became the basis for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies.

26. Ada Lovelace

The daughter of the poet George Gordon Byron is considered the first programmer in history to begin developing the world's first program-controlled digital computer. Ada wrote programs that none of her contemporaries understood, but later they formed the basis of the first computer codes.

27. Lyudmila Pavlichenko

A legendary female sniper, hero of the battle for Sevastopol and the liberation of Odessa, she was personally invited to the United States by Franklin Roosevelt and spoke to the American people in Chicago. Her phrase went down in history: “Gentlemen, I am twenty-five years old. During the war years, I destroyed 309 fascist invaders. Don't you think, gentlemen, that you've been hiding behind my back for too long?

28. Rosalind Franklin

A potential Nobel Prize winner, Rosalind was undeservedly forgotten as a scientist. She worked on DNA analysis together with three male colleagues, who eventually received a prestigious award for their developments. None of them mentioned that it was Rosalind who performed the key stage of the work - X-ray analysis of DNA, thanks to which it became possible to isolate the double helix, which contains genetic information about a person.

29. Billie Jean King

Billie Jean opened the way for women to play tennis. Today she holds the record for the most victories at the Wimbledon tournament. She founded the Women's World Tennis Association and ensured that prize payments for women tennis players were identical to those paid to men. It all started with Billie Jean challenging the world number one (Bobby Riggs in 1973) to prove that women play tennis as well as men. King won in a landslide, putting an end to the talk that women have no place in tennis.

30. Rachel Carson

American biologist who first drew attention to the harm that pesticides cause to living organisms. Rachel’s book “Silent Spring” caused a storm of indignation among chemical manufacturers, many even accused her of “ordering” the text and considered all of Carson’s research to be fabricated, but Rachel honorably won all the courts and is considered the founder of the modern movement for organic products and the fight for the ecology of our planet .

From time immemorial, power has been the prerogative of men. Tsars and kings, khans and shahs became fathers to their people, leading countries to prosperity and prosperity. The role of a woman in power was limited to dynastic marriage and the birth of healthy, strong heirs. However, since the time of the pharaohs, there have been wise and majestic persons who were able to bear the weight of Monomakh’s cap.

Hatshepsut

"Woman with a beard." Egyptian beliefs required that the holder of the crown of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms embody the god Horus. Therefore, Hatshepsut, having ascended the throne after the death of her husband Thutmose II, was forced to wear men's clothing and wear a false beard. She was the eldest daughter and only heir of Pharaoh Thutmose I - the future Thutmose III, the illegitimate son of her husband, had barely reached the age of six. Having come to power, she sent the bastard prince to be raised in the temple and single-handedly led Egypt for 22 years. The country devastated by nomads under the rule of Hatshepsut experienced unprecedented economic growth, construction and trade developed, Egyptian ships reached the country of Punt. The female pharaoh personally led a military campaign into Nubia and won. Hatshepsut was supported by the priestly elite and loved by the people. The only thing that she (like most female rulers) can be reproached for is her favorite, the architect Senenmut, the son of a simple scribe. He, of course, could not marry the living embodiment of God, but he loved his queen so much that he even built himself a tomb that exactly replicated his beloved’s sarcophagus.

« You will proclaim her word, you will obey her command. The one who worships her will live; the one who blasphemously speaks ill of Her Majesty will die» (Thutmose I about Queen Hatshepsut).

Cleopatra

"Fatal Beauty" To understand the irony of Cleopatra VII’s fate, you need to know the history of her “cheerful” family. Egyptian rulers, descendants of Ptolemy, the commander of Alexander the Great, married sisters for 12 generations in a row, executed, slaughtered and poisoned children, parents, brothers, husbands and wives. To ascend the throne, Cleopatra had to defeat two sisters - Berenice and Arsinoe, marry two young brothers in turn and poison both. She charmed the young Caesar and bore him a son, Ptolemy Caesarion, to rule on his behalf. She fell in love with the middle-aged Roman commander Mark Antony and bore him three children. She almost managed to embarrass Emperor Octavian, but age still took its toll. And at the same time, Cleopatra should not be considered a frivolous, depraved woman. In terms of education, the Egyptian princess was superior to most ladies of her time - she knew eight languages, and understood not only Homer, but also tactics, medicine, and toxicology. And for almost 30 years she successfully fought against Rome, defending the independence of Egypt.

« Although the beauty of this woman was not such that it is called incomparable and amazes at first sight, her manner was distinguished by irresistible charm. The very sounds of her voice caressed and delighted the ear, and her tongue was like a multi-stringed instrument, easily tuned to any mood.» (Plutarch on Cleopatra).

Elizabeth Taylor as Queen Cleopatra in the film of the same name (1963, directed by J. Mankiewicz)

Princess Sophia

"Bogatyr Princess" Undeservedly forgotten, slandered and pushed into the shadows, the regent-ruler, the elder sister of Peter I from another mother (Miloslavskaya). The very fact of its existence denies rumors about the illegal origin of the first All-Russian Emperor - brother and sister resembled each other like twins, with an iron will, stubbornness, tenacious mind and exorbitant ambition. If Pyotr Alekseevich had been born as weak as his older brothers Ivan and Fyodor, the history of Russia would have taken a different path - Sofya Alekseevna not only tried on the Monomakh cap, but also wore it with pride. Unlike the princess sisters, she was educated, wrote poetry, received ambassadors, and founded the first higher educational institution in Rus' in Moscow - the Slavic-Greco-Roman Academy. And she would have been a good queen... but Peter turned out to be stronger.

« An example of historical women: who freed themselves from the mansion, but did not take moral restraints out of it and did not find them in society» (S. Solovyov about Sofya Alekseevna).

Princess Sophia in the Novodevichy Convent. I. Repin

Elizabeth of England

"Virgin Queen" Like many women rulers of antiquity, they had a difficult fate. The unloved daughter of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, who was executed by him allegedly for treason, in fact - for the inability to give birth to a son. She went through disgrace, exile, exile, imprisonment in the Tower and still took the royal throne. Elizabeth's reign was called the “golden age”; under her wise rule, England defeated the “Invincible Armada” of Spain and became the queen of the seas. Despite the fact that Elizabeth had an official favorite, Robert Dudley, and many courtiers swore love to their queen, who was truly distinguished by amazing beauty, at least in her youth, she claimed that she had retained her virginity and was pure before God.

« I'd rather be a lonely beggar than a married queen».

Eleanor of Aquitaine

"Beautiful lady". Daughter and only heir of the Duke of Aquitaine, wife of Louis VII of France and Henry II Plantagenet, mother of kings Richard the Lionheart, John the Lackland, queens Eleanor of Spain and Joanna of Sicily. The ideal lover, the beautiful lady of all the troubadours of her time. Willful, decisive, formidable, amorous and jealous - according to rumors, she poisoned the “beautiful Rosamund,” Henry’s beloved, about which many sentimental ballads were composed. Married to the young French king by a 15-year-old girl, she did not love her husband, but lived with him for 20 years, gave birth to two daughters, and even went on the Crusade with him. A year after the annulment of her first marriage, she married Heinrich and gave birth to seven more (!) children. When her husband imprisoned her in a tower for unquenchable jealousy, she raised her sons against him. She lived until she was 80, and until her last day she actively participated in European politics, defending the interests of children.

I'll call that lady young
Whose thoughts and deeds are noble,
Whose beauty cannot be tarnished by rumor,
Whose heart is pure, far from evil.

(Troubadour Bertrand de Born about Eleanor of Aquitaine)

Queen Eleanor. Frederick Sandys

Elizaveta Petrovna

"Merry Queen" Daughter of Peter I and Catherine I, a carefree beauty, a skilled dancer and a kind-hearted person. She did not plan to take the Russian throne, being content with the life of a maiden of royal blood. According to foreign ambassadors, it was not a serious political force. However, at the age of 31, she led a revolt of the guards and ascended the throne, supported by the bayonets of the Preobrazhensky soldiers. The cheerful princess turned out to be a good ruler, at least she was smart enough to find wise ministers for herself. She fought victorious wars, opened the first banks, the imperial theater, and a porcelain factory in Russia. And... she abolished the death penalty - a couple of hundred years earlier than in Europe. The queen was also lucky with her personal life - she entered into a morganatic marriage with the singer Razumovsky. He loved his wife so much that after his death he destroyed the wedding documents so as not to compromise Peter’s daughter.

« I have no relations or correspondence with the enemy of my fatherland».

Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. I. Argunov

“Country of the Moon” - this is how Indira’s name is translated. Contrary to legends, she is not a daughter or even a relative of Mahatma (Master) Gandhi, but her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, was one of his closest associates. The entire family of young Indira took part in the liberation struggle of India, in the destruction of patriarchal orders and the removal of caste restrictions. Contrary to class prejudices (in India they are still stronger than any laws), Indira married Feroz Gandhi, who professes Zoroastrianism. The marriage led them to prison, but love turned out to be stronger. Even the birth of two sons did not prevent Indira from actively participating in the political life of the country. In 1964, she became the Prime Minister of India and, with minor interruptions, remained in power for twenty years. She developed the country, eliminated dependence on food imports, built schools, factories, factories. She was killed by political opponents.

« You cannot shake hands with clenched fists» .

Golda Meir

"Grandmother of the State" Born into a hungry, poor family, the daughter of a nurse and a carpenter. Five of the eight children died from malnutrition and disease. She emigrated to America with her parents and graduated from free elementary school. She earned money for further education by teaching English to new emigrants. She married a modest young accountant who shared the ideas of Zionism, and with him emigrated to Palestine in 1921. She worked in a kibbutz, washed clothes, and participated in the resistance movement. She joined the labor movement and soon became one of its leaders. In 3 months, she raised $50 million for the newly proclaimed Jewish state, served as ambassador to the USSR, negotiated with the King of Jordan, and eventually became the fourth Prime Minister of Israel. I never wore makeup, didn’t follow fashion, didn’t dress up, but was always surrounded by fans and romantic stories.

“A man who loses his conscience loses everything.”

Margaret Thatcher

"The Iron Lady". This woman's path to power is an example of perseverance and long, hard work. Initially, Margaret did not plan to become a politician; she was attracted to chemistry. She received an Oxford scholarship and worked in the laboratory where one of the first antibiotics was created, under the leadership of Dorothy Hodgkin, a future Nobel laureate. Politics was her hobby, a youthful passion, but you can’t escape fate. First, Margaret joined the Conservative Party, then met her future husband, Dennis Thatcher, studied to be a lawyer, and gave birth to twins four months before taking the exam. Four years later, young Mrs. Thatcher entered the British Parliament. In 1970 she became a minister, and in 1979 - prime minister of Great Britain. “The Iron Lady,” as Soviet newspapers nicknamed Margaret, many did not like her for her tough social policies, the Falklands War and her radical views. However, she improved the education system, making it more accessible to children from poor families, and boosted the economy and production. In 2007, a monument to Margaret Thatcher was erected in the British Parliament - she became the only English prime minister to receive such an honor during her lifetime.

« It is not at all necessary to agree with the interlocutor in order to find a common language with him».

Vigdis Finnbogadottir

"Daughter of the Snows" De jure the second, de facto the first legally elected female president in the world. She held this post four times and left it of her own free will. Initially, she had nothing to do with politics. Vigdis studied in Denmark and France, studied theater and French, returned to her homeland in Iceland, and raised her children alone. On October 24, 1975, she became one of the initiators of the women's strike - all women refused to go to work and do housework to demonstrate how much work falls on their shoulders. In 1980, Vigdis was elected president of the country. She was a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, worked on the problems of women and children, and after leaving politics, she founded the Association for the Study of Spinal Cord Injuries - the doctors of this organization collect and analyze world experience in the treatment of spinal injuries.

« Women by their essence are closer to nature, especially girls and women from the “common people”, who often have direct contact with the environment. To achieve success, to protect mother earth from impending disasters, we must resort to the help of women».

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Men and women perform equally. Only their roles are different. Women most often act as gray and black cardinals, while men act as heroes and beat their chests. That's why more of them ended up in the annals of history. The great women in the history of mankind are, in principle, all the women who lived, live and will live. And this is not a compliment, but a simple statement of fact.

Thinking about the greatness of famous ladies, we are subconsciously convinced that they were fatal beauties. This is where the famous phrase comes to mind: Unfortunately, not everyone knows the continuation of the catchphrase. But then there is an explanation: “... if she is kind!” It would seem that there are only three words, but the meaning immediately becomes different. However, there is no particular contradiction in it; we understand that a woman combines two complete opposites within herself, and this is the horror and danger of female beauty. Thousands of examples convince humanity that the earthly prettiness of a woman, absolutely devoid of a spiritual principle, is often mistaken for true beauty and carries with it death. To be fair, it is worth noting that not all great women who left a significant mark on the history of mankind were beautiful. However, each of them has its own special life story, love story, which has been preserved for centuries and is surrounded by incredible legends. This is their greatness.

Possessing amazing fortitude, they, not afraid to get ahead of their time, boldly went beyond the moral boundaries of their century. The list of majestic people can be continued endlessly: Sappho, Cleopatra, Catherine II, Nefertiti, Margaret Thatcher, Joan of Arc, Vanga, Camilla Claudel, Princess Olga, Murasaki Shikibu. Probably, we will not sin against the truth if we dare to say that these are the most great women in history. After all, each of them can rightfully be considered as a symbol of their era, their time.

On parity terms with some advantage in favor of women

More recently, no more than 15 years ago, geneticists established with a reasonable degree of certainty that a woman transfers about 80% of her cellular information to her child, a father - 15-17%, and the first man - up to 5% due to the so-called telegony. But that is not all. A person’s character is formed mainly before the age of 5, and then it practically does not change. So the influence of a woman on all men is such that they can all be called mama’s boys without any exaggeration.

Just like a she-wolf, who after seven generations of mating with dogs can restore the wolf tribe, so one woman is capable of more in history than one man. The exploits of real Achilles, Hectors and Samsons are the sum of the deeds of men. A woman can single-handedly change the course of history.

Famous women are less common in historical chronicles, not because there were fewer of them, but because their role is more profound. They carefully and thoughtfully prepared the turns of history that the men then made, as if on a whim.

Olympias - mother of Alexander the Great

Her name is not included in the "Great Women of History" list. Probably due to the fact that Greek culture became the basis of modern European culture. But the Olympics influenced the course of historical events much more than the great Aristotle.

She gave birth to Alexander and forged his character. The future legendary commander absorbed the Greek worldview with his mother's milk. The Olympics found him teachers who trained his body, teachers (including Aristotle) ​​who sharpened his mind, and, finally, friends who became his associates. So who made the real history? However, the Olympics did not even make it into the “Famous Women in History” category.

Macedonia was a strong state with its original and equal Greek culture. But who now studies it thoroughly (except for a handful of philosophy lovers)? And they only know that there once existed a certain religious-philosophical movement named after Orpheus, and three or four postulates from it. But even Archimedes and Pythagoras were Orphics. Philip, Alexander's father, raised a deadly sword over Greek culture and lifestyle. And it seemed that it was impossible to avert her death. But the woman managed to find ways that turned the winners into losers, with their great consent.

Esther

Another name of a great woman in the history of the world who accomplished some kind of feat. It is in honor of Esther that Jews around the world have been celebrating Purim for more than 3 thousand years. Her name is inscribed in the Bible and therefore has only survived to this day.

When the financial and military elites came together in a struggle for power in ancient Persia, Esther spoke out for the financial side, most of which consisted of Jews of the same blood. Then the scales tipped in their favor, and the Jews won the desired victory.

Many of the Jewish men contributed to the struggle for this victory, but even Mordechai did not receive the memory of the entire Jewish people that Esther received. But she was just the wife of the king of Persia. But she had such an influence on his decisions that the outcome of the battle was predetermined.

Amazons

Many people have heard about this brave and warlike tribe. But they are not called great. And the point is not even that their names were not preserved in the annals. It’s just that in direct, open confrontation on the battlefields, they were inferior to men. So, their queen could not withstand the onslaught of Achilles and died heroically at his hand. This is easily explained: they took up work that was not typical for women.

That is why history crossed them out of its lists. The resilience of women in the heat of bloody battles is inferior to that of men, but in ordinary, everyday life they are an order of magnitude higher than the latter. Many heroes, unable to find a use for their powers, became drunk, became depressed, and threw themselves into all sorts of troubles as if into a whirlwind. But this happens much less often with women. They have a powerful and great inner moral core.

Maria and Khadija

Quite common - each in its own culture - names. They won't tell most people much. But these are the names of great women!

One has only to mention that this refers to the mother of Christ and the wife of Mohammed, and it immediately becomes clear why these persons are so significant.

Although their role in the affairs of both founders of world religions is enormous, even they are not such an authority for many. Very little history is known about the Mother of God. A little more about Khadija.

So, the Holy Virgin and Jesus. As a mother (who, by the way, gave birth to a son miraculously from the Holy Spirit), Mary could not help but pass on 100% of her genetic information to him. In fact, the Savior must appear as the Mother of God in a male body. Difficult? Perhaps, but there's nothing you can do about it. In addition, Mary had a great moral influence on her firstborn. She was present at his death, and was among the chosen ones who met Jesus resurrected.

According to legend, before her ascension to heaven, Mary lived under John the Theologian. When heavenly angels began to visit him in visions, and then the Savior himself, John wanted to abandon his mission. But it was the Mother of God who kept him from this step. That is, again, here we can see how a woman in the history of mankind guides a man, and he already accomplishes significant deeds and glorifies himself with exploits.

Muse of the Prophet

Khadija's guiding role in the life of the prophet is much clearer. It was she who took the initiative to marry him. She saw in time what potential lay hidden in the twenty-five-year-old young man. She was the first, like no one else, to appreciate the merits of the prophecies of Mohammed. And, quite likely, the prophet would never have taken the risky path of asceticism without the moral and material support of his unforgettable first wife. For this, she (according to legend) went to heaven with the help of the Archangel Jebrail, although according to Islamic teachings women do not have souls.

Role in history is not measured by fame

Wide popularity is far from the most accurate indicator of the role played by a person in the history of mankind. Many empty-headed people, famous women and men who shock the public, or even villains are known much more than the true benefactors of all intelligent inhabitants of planet Earth.

You can compare Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, and Hypatia, and the philosopher. Cleopatra can be added to her title with the “high title” of the greatest woman in history. But this is not true. And the name of Hypatia will remain an empty phrase for the vast majority of men. Although many people use her invention to this day. We are talking about an ordinary building level. She invented the astrolabe. Thanks to this, long trips to the open sea became possible.

Cleopatra, with her “unearthly” love, made a nonentity out of the hero and gave the independence of the country into the hands of the iron might of Rome. She had everything, both military and economic forces, to organize the defense of her homeland, but did not use them. Primitive thinking is not limited to so-called great men. But in the minds of most, Queen Cleopatra is at least one of the great women of history.

And Hypatia was not only the last great mathematician of antiquity and the inventor of many useful things, but also led the movement to preserve the knowledge accumulated by mankind. She defended this knowledge from Christianity, which had begun to go wild, which made the image of the Savior meaningless and began to claim power over the spiritual life of all people without exception. She died heroically, but the knowledge that she saved with her companions still helps to make our lives better, more comfortable, and more convenient. Japanese stone gardens are her solution to a geometric problem, when all the stones except one are visible from any point on the plane. Without solving this problem, in the twentieth century they would not have been able to create such a wonderful thing as the computer that is already familiar to everyone. Knowledge lay dormant for 1700 years only to awaken in the heads of talented people and move human history further along the path of progress. So there are great women in history. Of course, they were different, and they entered history in different ways too

Olga - creator of the core of Russian civilization

Olga's wisdom was so great that she did not allow her son's heroism to deplete the human and economic resources of Rus'. Olga gave just enough from the reserve so that daring campaigns would benefit society and the state. And at the same time, she did not enter into conflicts with her son, did not insist and, most importantly, did not show the man that she was smarter than him.

I also saw the spiritual life of people. Svyatoslav was as straightforward as a warrior, and therefore put it simply: “Christianity is an abomination.” But Olga understood that the Vedic religion must retreat for a while. This is the dictate of the logic of history. But you must always retreat wisely. It is not without reason that the military says that a retreat is a more difficult operation than an offensive. She managed to weave the living stems of Vedism into the Christian worldview. Without this, the Vedic Renaissance of the 12th century would not have been possible. And “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” would not have been created, and the epics about Svyatogor would not have survived to this day. And in Rus', as in Europe of those times, the fires of the Inquisition would have blazed. And the architecture of Russian Orthodox churches would not bear reflections of the Vedic vision of the Universe. And the word Orthodoxy itself would not exist. What would happen? Byzantine state. No comments needed...

However, Olga is far from the only lady who is remembered in conversations about the great women of the Russian land.

Great women in Russian history: dubious greatness

But there is exaggerated greatness. It is based on appearance and shine. In the history of Russia there are two empresses - Elizaveta Petrovna and Catherine II. But only one of them was almost officially included in the list of “Famous Women in the History of the World.” We are talking about Catherine the Second.

But it was during the reign of Elizabeth (and it lasted 14 years) that Russia did not know any upheaval. There were no wars with external adversaries, who seemed to be hiding in those years, there were no peasant uprisings, the morals of serfdom softened, science and production developed. And all this was done somehow quietly and imperceptibly. And yet she is not as famous as the other ruler of the Russian State.

Descendants know more about Catherine. She was an enlightened woman with enormous knowledge and incredible potential. But for some reason, no matter how offensive it may be, when this woman is mentioned in Russian history, obscenities are heard more often and lists of her countless favorites are remembered. Such is human nature...

The history of mankind continues. The 20th century added outstanding figures to the list called “Great Women in the History of the World”: the queen of detective stories, Agatha Christie; space explorer Valentina Tereshkova; expressive Coco Chanel; Calcutta Mother Teresa, in the world Agnes Gonja Boyaksha; fatal and unforgettable Marilyn Monroe It is difficult to argue with the fact that a woman is the most mysterious, beautiful and unpredictable creature in the Universe, as well as with the fact that without women our world would be much more boring.

The need for a female deity, for the worship of a mother, protector and helper, was strong in all cultures and religions. In Ancient Greece they revered Demeter, in Asia Minor - Cybele, in Ancient Egypt - Isis. But in the Christian Virgin Mary, for the first time, a real human principle was embodied - feminine and maternal, understood as divine. The purpose of a woman was first recognized by society as serving higher goals, as connecting her with the Absolute. The arrival of a new person into the world was recognized as a sacrament, at the origin of which stood the Mother. The Immaculate Conception was filled with deep meaning - a woman’s maternal mission is carried out with the direct participation of the Almighty, without the intervention of brute material forces.

The Lord, as you know, was looking for the Mother of Jesus, as if an ordinary earthly man was choosing a Mother who would continue his family. In the canonical gospels, the image of the Virgin does not occupy the imagination of the authors too much, but in the apocrypha “The Story of Jacob about the Birth of Mary” the main character from the very beginning appears as the chosen one of God. For the Father, not only the holiness of Mary herself turned out to be important, but also the dignity of her family clan and even her national origin. At first, the Lord marked the “people of Israel” with his seal, then he singled out the branch of David in it and waited for a long time until this tree bore the fruit of paradise - a worthy woman for His divine Son.

French writer. Author of the novels: "Hello, Sadness" (1954), "Do you love Brahms?" (1959), “A Little Sun in Cold Water” (1969), “Lost Profile” (1974), “The Painted Lady” (1981), “War Tired” (1985) - about love, loneliness, general dissatisfaction with life.

Almost every third book in France today is written by a woman. Literary creativity is a field in which women, along with love, have long won a strong place for themselves, but never before have so many names of representatives of the fair sex appeared on the covers of a wide variety of publications as at the end of the 20th century. Detective stories, romance novels, biographies... Critics and philosophers will explain this phenomenon. Perhaps men simply liberated the weaker sex from the periphery of human culture, capturing more modern means of communication than literature. Perhaps women's intelligence is growing. Perhaps it all works together. One thing is clear: today every bibliophile can name a dozen writers whose books are of interest. And there is no doubt that this list will open the name of Francoise Sagan. And not because she is the most significant modern novelist, but because it was to her share that the most lasting and lasting success fell. The fertility and accessibility of Sagan's books seem to symbolize the general trend of today's women's literature - everything for the average reader, none of this male gimmick called innovation. Simple stories that are understandable to the average person... No wonder Françoise, despite her advanced age, declares that she loves the game, the night, and when relationships between people are simple.

The political leader, the former wife of South African President Nelson Mandela, currently heads the women's movement of the African National Congress party.

The career of a modern political leader, especially one as odious as Winnie Mandela, is usually associated with scandals. A person gets used to popularity and there is no worse punishment for him than peace and complete indifference from the press. Truly, the most cruel drug that cannot be cured is fame. Popularity fell upon Vinnie immediately, with an unexpected marriage, but this was not yet the fame that, according to her assumptions, a woman like her was worthy.

As a child, she was raised in harsh conditions, losing her mother at an early age. As a nine-year-old girl, Winnie was forced to take care of her three-month-old brother. The cult of strength and discipline reigned in the family. Her father, a history teacher, admired German neatness and pedantry so much that her daughter got her name from the German “Winifred,” although her real African name is Nomzamo. By the age of seventeen she was prominent, reserved, and extremely proud. The girl left her village to seek her fortune in the capital, Johannesburg.

At the end of the 20th century, we can finally confidently share the laurels of the century, put everyone in their place, in a word, give earrings to all the “sisters.” The pedestal of the great opera divas, in any case, has already been determined without a doubt - Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi and Montserrat Caballe. One of the reviewers wrote that if Callas was given the epithet “Divine”, and Tebaldi was awarded the unofficial title “Amazing”, then Caballe would be quite worthy to bear the title “Unsurpassed”.

Indeed, it is unlikely that any of the new prima donnas will be able to surpass Montserrat by the end of the millennium in the vastness of the repertoire, in the number of performances, in the uniqueness of the voice and exceptional musicality, which allows the singer to turn every breath into a tender, pure note. And Montserrat is an extremely prosperous, happy and cheerful woman. Her name does not carry a trail of scandals and sensations, and her solid figure simply emanates kindness, self-confidence and calmness. It is unlikely that any of the artists of our century will be able to surpass Caballe both in the completeness of personal happiness and in the cloudless pleasure of existence.

A Jewish girl hiding from fascist terror in the Netherlands. She kept notes that were published under the title “The Diary of Anne Frank” in 1947. Translated into many languages ​​of the world. She died in a concentration camp.

The example of this girl confirms the idea that even the shortest life can inspire admiration and become an example to follow, that even in the most inhuman conditions you can create your own special inner world and exist in it with dignity.

When Anna woke up on the morning of June 12, 1942, she saw many flowers and different colored packages on the table. Among the very simple birthday gifts, the girl discovered a thick notebook. Diary. She will keep a diary.

And on the same day, a short entry appeared on the first page of the notebook: “I hope that I can trust you with everything.”

The most popular American film actress of the 1950s. She starred in the films: “How to Marry a Millionaire”, “Some Like It Hot” (in the domestic box office “Some Like It Hot”), “The Misfits”, etc.

In the 20th century, there is, perhaps, no other name, besides Marilyn, that would symbolize, by unspoken agreement, perfect femininity. In the light of Jupiters, femininity became more and more closely linked with sexuality, and although this latter concept never had time to become fully clear, the fame of the first and most famous sex star, a sex bomb, firmly clung to the actress Monroe. She seemed unusually beautiful to her contemporaries, she made her appearance, brought it to a perfect doll-like state. Descendants will certainly find flaws in her - aesthetic ideals are changing quickly, but it is unlikely that new connoisseurs will ever consider Monroe's image to be ordinary. In this woman, through mediocre films, banal roles, through far-fetched poses and a weak voice, the magnetism of some secret, which was not even created by herself, always appeared. This secret pulsed inside Monroe against her will. Embedded in her body and soul, the secret led her to the heights of glory and into the abyss of destruction. It is not for nothing that the life and death of this beauty, who contributed nothing special to world culture, worries both the average person and the elite today.

Prime Minister of Great Britain 1979–1990. Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. In 1970–1974, Minister of Education and Science.

Years will pass, and the image of the “Iron Lady” will take on new colors, the outlines of a legend will appear, and details will disappear. Margaret Thatcher will remain in the history of the 20th century as one of the most powerful politicians. Without supporting any feminist movements, she introduced the world to a completely new female type, her character seemed designed to show humanity what the weaker sex had come to by the end of the second millennium. It symbolizes the long-term result of women’s struggle for their rights, when a woman, leaving the care of her husband or father, being left alone, was forced not only to survive, but also to find a worthy place.

Ballerina, People's Artist of the USSR (1959), Hero of Socialist Labor (1985). She staged ballets in which she performed the main roles: “Anna Karenina” (1972, together with other choreographers), “The Seagull” (1980), “The Lady with the Dog” (1985).

Probably, ballerinas do not age, or maybe they have some special secret of fighting against time. Or is this secret known only to great ballerinas, great women? As the half-mythical, half-historical heroines knew him. The secret of “eternal youth” elevated any woman into the ranks of the divine, unattainable, and made her an object of worship. And how many ladies would give all the treasures of the world, all the lovers, all the blessings for the sake of one thing - never to grow old. And how many ladies “died” on the battlefield with age, how many tragedies this struggle knows, how many ruined destinies, how much drama and comedy in this, in general, unequal battle, because time inexorably wins.

Italian film actress. The combination of grotesque and lyricism and subtle psychologism inherent in Mazina’s talent were revealed in films directed by F. Fellini (Mazina’s husband): “Variety Show Lights”, “The White Sheikh”, “The Road” (in the domestic box office “They Wandered the Roads”), “ Nights of Cabiria", "Juliet and the Perfume", "Ginger and Fred".

Someday they will probably write books about her, make a film and call them something like: “The Double Life of a Great Actress” or “The Secret Sufferings of Juliet.” Many women know this bitterness of the ambiguity of existence in their own family, many actresses suffered from the burden of popularity, but for Mazina these two circumstances mutually complicated each other. She always diligently hid her personal life, and sometimes, thanks to incredible efforts, she succeeded - Mazina’s impeccable intelligence stopped even the paparazzi who knew no bounds. But interest in the great Fellini, with whom Juliet shared fifty years of her life, did not leave hope for the secret of her personal life. The maestro was created for publicity, scandals, love affairs - this was required by his bright, sparkling creativity. One of the actresses, Sandra Milo, who openly trumpeted in the press about “her dear Federico,” allowed herself to philosophize about Fellini’s nature in her own book. She writes that “the insatiable hunger with which Grando Fefe pounced on every available female” does not refer to ordinary lust, but simply to “treasure hunting.”

The fire of passion in the blood does not go out

Neither during the day nor in the twilight of the night...

You, Ella, are more dangerous for men

Brigitte Bardot and Doris Day...

It never occurs to musicians and jazz lovers that there is another Ella. Ella is the name of the “first lady of jazz.” Armstrong, Goodman, Ellington, and Peterson voted for Ella’s candidacy for the title of “Best Singer of the World.” When asked who should be nominated for this title, Frank Sinatra replied: “Why are you asking, of course, Ella.” Crosby said: “Only her! It doesn’t matter who to choose from - men, women or children...”