(Clockwise from left): American civil war soldier Frances Hook; 19th century Dahomey women soldiers; defending a besieged German city in 1615; 18th century British soldier Hannah Snell and Union soldier Frances Clayton. Sources:
Wikimedia Commons, Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbuettel
Fighting in sieges, an army of crack female troops, cross-dressing as male soldiers: women have survived and thrived as part of the war machine. But they’re rarely included in military histories.
US marines with a female engagement team in southern Helmand province, Afghanistan, in May 2012.
Cpl. Meghan Gonzales/DVIDS
Women of color in public office often face great scrutiny and hostility. New research shows how France’s first black female senators used their experience fighting Nazis to pass landmark legislation.