In March, the United States celebrates women around the world. In many countries, women are protected by laws and have every right that a man has, including the right to vote, right to own property and the right to the basic laws that are granted to every citizen. However, in some countries, such as Iran or Afghanistan, women are notably discriminated against and are not given the same rights as men. It is important to celebrate the women who have had to fight against discrimination, who paved the way for women who now get to celebrate their freedoms, and who encourage the world to fight for women who still do not get to enjoy their deserved freedoms.  

This quiz will test your knowledge on historical women icons and their successes. Lets see how well you know your history.  

1. Which fact about Cleopatra is FALSE?

A. She was not of Egyptian descent 

B. Her biggest strength was her beauty 

C. She was often involved in murder plots that targeted her siblings 

D. She spoke nine languages  

2. Who was Ada Lovelace?

 A. A famous actress

B. A successful business woman 

C. A successful business woman 

D. A known prohibitionist 

3. What book did Jane Austen write?

 A. Jane Eyre 

B. Wuthering Heights 

C. The Yellow Wallpaper 

D. Emma

4. Which fact about Joan of Arc is FALSE?

 A. She was 20 when she led an army

B. She was charged with around 70 crimes 

C. She had many different names, including Jehanne Tarc, Jehanne Romee, and Jehanne la Pucelle 

D. She is a patron saint

5. Who was Maya Angelou?

 A. A mathematician

B. A civil rights activist

C. A chef 

D. An engineer 

6. Which woman discovered treatments for cancer? 

 A. Sally Ride 

B. Rosalind Franklin 

C. Marie Curie 

D. Charlotte Brontë 

7. Who was the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic?

 A. Bessie Coleman 

B. Amelia Airheart 

C. Frida Khalo 

D. Amelia Earhart

8. Who wrote Frankenstein and is theorized to be the inventor of science fiction?

 A. Frank Herbert 

B. Margaret Mitchell 

C. Mary Shelley 

D. Harper Lee 

9. Who was Hypatia?

 A. First female mathematician 

B. First female poet

C. First female engineer 

D. First female actress 

10. Who was the first woman who went to space?

 A. Mary Wollstonecraft 

B. Malala Yousafzai 

C. Valentina Tereshkova 

D. Josephine Butler 

Answers: 

Question 1 is…B. Cleopatra was known for her charm, intelligence and great leadership skills. She was a scholar, not a beauty queen, and the coins that depicted a picture of Cleopatra gave her more masculine features, features that are not the beauty standard in regards to women. The only time her beauty took center stage was through Roman propaganda, and while she could have been beautiful, her appearance was not her biggest success.  

Question 2 is …C. Ada Lovelace was a computer programmer who wrote about a hypothetical program involved with the Analytical Engine, later regarded as the first ever computer, and was closely associated with Charles Babbage, the inventor of the first computer.  

Question 3 is… D. Jane Austen is a successful novelist who wrote books such as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma, all of which have been adapted to movies and TV.  

Question 4 is… A. She was around 17 when she commanded the French army at the siege of Orléans.  

Question 5 is… B. Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist who was also a writer. She wrote autobiographies, poems, and stories, some of which connected to her civil rights beliefs. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010.  

Question 6 is… C. Marie Curie was a chemist and physicist who researched radioactivity, specifically discovering polonium and radium. She discovered how radioactivity could kill tumors, thus leading to the creation of radiotherapy for cancer patients. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win two Nobel Prizes. 

Question 7 is… D. Amelia Earhart is well known for her solo journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, after an attempt to fly across the globe, she ended up disappearing near the Pacific Ocean, and her body was never found again. Still, her determination and courage was a huge influence on women today, who look up to her bravery with an understanding that they can do whatever they set their mind to.  

Question 8 is… C. Mary Shelley is the author of Frankenstein, which she wrote when she was only 18. The story of Frankenstein is widely regarded to be one of the first examples of science fiction, as the story is an exploration of how someone’s obsession with science led to creating a monster.  

Question 9 is… A. Hypatia was a Neoplatonist who lived in Alexandria. She was a very prominent mathematician at the time who had a hand in creating theories based in arithmetic, geometry, and an astronomical table. Unfortunately, her gender led to her being killed at the hands of Christian zealots, but her legacy still remains in the hearts of young women today.  

Question 10 is… C. The first woman to go to outer space was a Soviet cosmonaut named Valentina Tereshkova. She flew on the Vostok 6 in 1963, and she was all by herself.