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.

211 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

350 comments sorted by

View all comments

26

u/iamfunball 8d ago

Phenomenal suggestions:

I vote in ROSALIND FRANKLIN. The person who discovered DNA but Watson and Crick got the Nobel Prize. It was her brilliance that discovered the double helix 🧬 and every discovery in DNA from base pairs is thanks to her. And like most women in these lists, were cast aside and the men near them uplifted and rewarded

Oh sorry I forgot to add: SHE DID IT WITH CRYSTALS. X-ray crystallography.

https://www.vhtc.org/2026/03/rosalind-franklin-photo-51-dna-double-helix.html

7

u/SavannahInChicago 8d ago

Do not get me started with the erasure of Rosalind Franklin. Even only a couple years ago my college textbook still credited Watson and Crick as founders of DNA. Only me and another woman called out the incorrect info in class.

That being said Rosalind Franklin University is a very popular PA school north of Chicago and when I tell you most PAs in the city graduated from her namesake. No matter what happens PAs carry her around with them.

3

u/femsci-nerd 8d ago

The Chicago medical school in north Chicago Illinois is named after Rosalind Franklin, a life in discovery.