The women listed above are not the just “first women” to make these ground-breaking discoveries – they are the first ever scientists to make these discoveries. No one preceded their efforts and the world would not be as advanced, as healthy, or as connected, without them.
Prior to my research, I knew of perhaps three of these women. Clearly, women have been in the scientific fields for longer than what most people are familiar with. Just because we don’t associate 19th century women with science, doesn’t mean they weren’t doing it. It’s past time we gave them credit for their work.