March is Women's History Month

MSN's got an interesting article, in honor of Women's History Month (March), Eight Great Women, Five Awful Ones.

Like the title suggests, the article notes eight amazing women and five who weren't so nice. ;)
Some I'd never heard of before, like The Trung sisters and Phung Thi Chinh:

Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, sisters and widows of Vietnamese aristocrats, led a major uprising against Chinese invaders in AD 39. Trung Trac ruled for four years before the Chinese conquered Vietnam again, but resistance continued for the next 1,000 years. Many women figured in the resistance, notably Phung Thi Chinh, who fought while pregnant, paused to give birth, and rejoined the fight with her baby on her back.

Sound like a certain Peacekeeper we know? *g*

Or how about Ida Wells-Bartlett, described as a "precursor to Rosa Parks"?

Of course, I *had* heard of some of them, most notably Mary Mallon (Typhoid Mary), Countess Nadasy (Elizabeth Bathory) and pirates Mary Reade & Anne Bonney.

In the article is also a link to seven women explorers, also a great read.