Kickass Women

Their inspiring acts of resistance were ignored or erased for centuries—until now.

She reappeared in World War II's Pacific theater where, for five weeks in 1943, she inspired troops and faced down air raids.

From Italy’s fortress-seizing countess to Angola’s battle-hardened Queen Njinga, these women didn’t back down from a fight.

For decades, these women have fought (and won) the right to stunt.

In 2022, we traveled the globe to share the stories of powerful warriors, fearless activists, and more.

The “she generalissimo” nearly won the English Civil War for her husband, King Charles I.

Cruel joke, power move, or both?

From musket-wielding empress Nur Jahan to writer Gulbadan Begum, meet the influential women of the early-modern Muslim empire.

From wielding lethal bows to commanding troops, the female soldiers of the Central Asian steppe were formidable foes.

From fighting in the army to managing the kingdom, women were key players in every aspect of the Mongol Empire.

The women of England’s SOE fought on the beaches of Normandy, sabotaged the Nazis within France, and turned the tides of the war.

From California’s mythic warrior queen to the swole women of Sparta to female hunters in ancient Peru.

The Roosevelt Island artwork pays homage to her reporting, especially her inside look at a city asylum.

From German witches to vampiric Malaysian spirits to a real-life poisoner.

As queens or captains, women deftly operated ships across the Red Sea and Mediterranean 2,000 years ago.

Meet the painter, the pilot, the author, and other "firsts" who paved the way.

British adventurer Elise Wortley is about to retrace a historic journey through Iran.