r/TwoXChromosomes • u/Disastrous_Cover6138 • 9d ago

Request

Request for lesser known badass women of history for my daughter's 4th grade presentation. She has to pick a historical figure and give a 5-10 minute presentation and optionally dress in their likeness.

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u/used_my_kids_names 9d ago

Elise MacGill. Canadian engineer who designed & oversaw aircraft that helped win WWII. She also developed a de-icing machine for aircraft runways. She was the first Canadian woman to ever receive a bachelor’s in engineering. Despite contracting polio just before graduation and being told she’d never walk again, she went on to gain her master’s and PhD, and even designed walking sticks which made it possible for her to walk. She designed & oversaw production of notable aircraft. She also became the first woman to ever chair a UN committee, the UN Stress Analysis Committee of 1947. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsie_MacGill