Extraordinary Women Trivia Quiz

Answer: Textile factory worker

Valentina Tereshkova (born 1937) was 26 when she took part in a solo space mission in 1963 on Vostok 6. She spent three days in space and orbited the Earth 48 times.

Prior to her space mission, she was a worker in the textile factory and was an amateur skydiver. Later she joined the Air Force as part of Cosmonaut Corps, and graduated as an officer. After her retirement as a cosmonaut in 1969, she remained in the space program as an instructor. In 1997 she retired from the Air Force, having attained the rank of major general

Answer: Physician

The story of Agnodice, aka Agnodike, was told by Roman author Gauis Julius Hyginus in his "Fabulae". While studying medicine under Herophilus, she worked as a physician in her home city in Athens. She had to disguise herself as a man because women were forbidden to practice medicine.

The male rival physicians who were jealous of her popularity made false charges on her. She was forced to reveal her gender and was charged under the laws at that time. She was acquitted, and the law against female physicians was revoked.

Answer: Tang

Wu Zetian, aka Wu Zhao (624-705), ruled China from 690 to 705 during the Tang Dynasty. In her early life, she was the concubine of Emperor Taizong. After the death of Taizong, she married his ninth son (Emperor Gaozong) in 655.

From 655 to 683, she ruled China as the empress consort jointly with her husband. After the death of Gaozong, she became the empress dowager from 683 to 690. In 690 she took over the throne for her son. In 705 she was removed from her power during a coup and died a few months later.

During her reign, the society was transformed from one dominated by a military and political aristocracy to one governed by a scholarly bureaucracy, which she promoted. She was able to establish a new empire on a lasting basis, which brought about social changes that stabilized the dynasty, making the Tang empire one of the most fruitful ages of Chinese civilization.

Answer: The 99s

Amelia Earhart (1897-1939) was the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. On July 2, 1937, she disappeared over Pacific Ocean for her attempt to become the first female pilot to fly around the world. She was declared dead in 1939.

The 99s, formed in November 2, 1929, was dedicated to provide networking and scholarship to female pilots. Since 1940, the Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship was established as the 99s premier scholarship program for deserving 99s members to complete advanced training and education in aviation and aerospace.

Answer: Sorbonne

Marie Curie (1867-1934) was born in Warsaw. Despite being a top student in her secondary school, she could not attend the University of Warsaw dominated by men. In 1891 she moved to Paris to study at Sorbonne, where she had to survive on poor diet to complete her degree. In 1893, she earned her master's degree in physics and earned another degree in mathematics the following year.

In 1895 she married Pierre Curie. After she discovered radioactivity, she and her husband worked together on the research. In 1903 she earned her Doctor of Science degree, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for the discovery of two new elements, polonium and radium, the same year.

After her husband died in a traffic accident in 1905, she took his place as Professor of General Physics in the Faculty of Sciences, the first time a woman had held this position. In 1911 she was awarded the Nobel Prize for the second time in Chemistry, for the isolation of pure radium.

Answer: North Macedonia

Mother Teresa (1910-1997) was born into a Kosovar Albanian family in Skopje, the capital of present-day North Macedonia. North Macedonia was part of the Ottoman Empire for 500 years, from the late 14th century until the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913. The Ottoman rule was ended by the Balkan Wars from October 1912 to August 1913.

In 1928 she became a Roman Catholic nun, a teacher in 1931, and was named Mother Teresa in 1937. In 1950 she founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, where she devoted her life to provide free service to help the poorest of the poor. The work that the order undertook extended to 130 countries, and included managing homes for people who were dying, soup kitchens, orphanages and schools.

In 1979 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace".

Answer: Before the age of two

Helen Keller (1880-1968) was deaf and blind after a childhood illness when she was 19 months. With the support of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, she learned signing and Braille. In 1904 she graduated from Radcliffe, becoming the first deaf and blind person to earn a college degree.

She wrote 14 books, and campaigned for people with disabilities, for labor rights, and world peace. In 1909 she became a member of Socialist Party of Massachusetts to fight for women's suffrage. In 1956 her early life was adapted in a film titled "The Miracle Worker" and written by William Gibson.

Answer: 1932 Los Angeles

Beside track and field events, Mildred "Babe Didrikson (1911-1956) excelled in golf, basketball, baseball, tennis, swimming, bowling, and billiards.

At the 1932 Olympic Games at Los Angeles, she won gold medals in 80 m hurdles and javelin, and a silver medal in high jump. This was a feat never achieved by any athlete - male or female in Olympic history in the 20th century. There were only six women's events in track and field in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic.

In 1947 she turned pro as a golfer, and achieved 48 wins during her career, including ten major titles. She was voted by Associated Press as the "Female Athlete of the Year" in 1932, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1950, and 1954.

Answer: Pluto

Junko Tabei (1939-2015) reached the top of Mount Everest on May 16, 1975. She also conquered the Seven Summits, reaching the highest peak on every continent.

In 2010 she formed an association to deal with environment protection to clean up trash on Everest. After the earthquakes in Japan in 2001, she organized annual trips for children to Mount Fiji. She wrote seven books between 1996 and 2008.

In 2019, a mountain range on Pluto was named Tabei Montes in her honour. Tabei Montes ID15866, is located on Planetocentric, +East, 0-360, with a diameter of 105 km.

Answer: Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Sirimavo Bandaranaike (1916-2000) was born in a rich family. She was educated in a Catholic English-medium school, but remained as a Buddhist.

Following the assassination of her husband, Solomon W.R.D. Bandaranaike (served as the 4th prime minister of Sri Lanka) in 1959, she took over the party leadership of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). She then served three terms as prime minister: 1960 to 1965, 1970 to 1977, and 1994 to 2000. During her last term, she governed under the presidency of her daughter, Chandrika Kumaratunga, who was the fifth President of Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2005.

During her rule, she carried on her husband's program of socialist economic policies and neutrality in international relations. She provided active encouragement of the Buddhist religion, the Sinhalese language, and culture. Her government nationalized various economic enterprises and made Sinhalese the sole official language.