British and American polls say that few people can name even one famous woman scientist. Here are some women in the sciences including medicine and mathematics. You may recognize some of these famous women scientists; others may be new to you and worth further exploring. They're listed alphabetically over several pages -- don't miss the others!
1. Joy Adamson
Dates: January 20, 1910 - January 3, 1980
Known for: Naturalist Joy Adamson wrote Born Free about raising a lion cub, Elsa, and releasing her back to the wild, part of her efforts in Kenya for conservation.
2. Maria Agnesi
Dates: May 16, 1718 - January 9, 1799
Known for: Maria Agnesi wrote the first mathematics book by a woman that still survives. She was also the first woman appointed as a mathematics professor at a university.
3. Agnodice
Dates: 4th century BCE
Known for: Agnodice, who may be mythical rather than historical, was a physician and gynecologist who dressed as a man because it was illegal for women to practice medicine.
4. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Dates: June 9, 1836 - December 17, 1917
Known for: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was the first woman to successfully complete the medical qualifying exams in Great Britain and the first woman physician in Great Britain. She was also an advocate of women's suffrage and women's opportunities in higher education and became the first woman in England elected as mayor.
5. Mary Anning
Dates: May 21, 1799 - March 9, 1847
Known for: Self-taught paleontologist Mary Anning was a British fossil hunter and collector. At age 12 she had found, with her brother, a complete ichthyosaur skeleton, and later made other major discoveries. Louis Agassiz named two fossils for her. Because she was a woman, the Geological Society of London would not permit her to make any presentation about her work.
6. Virginia Apgar
Dates: June 7, 1909 - August 7, 1974
Known for: Virginia Apgar developed the Apgar Newborn Scoring System, increasing infant survival rates She was pioneer in anesthesiology including helping to raise the respect for the discipline; she warned that use of some anesthetics during childbirth negatively affected infants. Virginia Apgar also helped refocus the March of Dimes organization from polio to birth defects.
7. Elizabeth Arden
Dates: December 31, 1884 - October 18, 1966
Known for: Elizabeth Arden was the founder, owner and operator of Elizabeth Arden, Inc., a cosmetics and beauty corporation. At the beginning of her career, she formulated the products that she then manufactured and sold.
8. Florence Augusta Merriam Bailey
Dates: August 8, 1863 - September 22, 1948
Known for: A nature writer and ornithologist, Florence Bailey popularized natural history and wrote a number of books about birds and ornithology, including several popular bird guides.
9. Clara Barton
Dates: December 25, 1821 - April 12, 1912
Known for: Nurse Clara Barton is famous for her Civil War service and as the founder of American Red Cross.
10. Laura Maria Caterina Bassi
Dates: October 31, 1711 - February 20, 1778
Known for: Professor of anatomy at the University of Bologna, Laura Bassi is most famous for her teaching and experiments in Newtonian physics. She was appointed in 1745 to a group of academics by the future Pope Benedict XIV.
