Biography Great Women

Travel to Greece and watch Cynisca, a Spartan princess, become the first ever woman to win at the ancient Olympic Games. Or touch the heavens with Junko Tabei as she carves her path through history and mountain ranges with little applause but a lot of bravery. In this book Kate Pankhurst, descendant of Emmeline Pankhurst, tells the fascinating stories of some of history's most talented female sports stars.

The complete audio collection of all the stories from Kate Pankhurst's best-selling Fantastically Great Women series. No dream is too big if you just believe in yourself. And these strong, ambitious and fantastically great women prove it. They've conquered the tallest mountains, made game-changing discoveries, stood up for women's rights and protected our beautiful, fragile planet. Discover the inspirational lives of just some of the extraordinary women who have transformed people's expectations of what women can do in this stunning audio collection.

In London during the interwar years, five women's lives intertwined around one address. Mecklenburgh Square, on the radical fringes of Bloomsbury, was home to activists, experimenters and revolutionaries; among them were the modernist poet H. D., detective novelist Dorothy L. Sayers, classicist Jane Harrison, economic historian Eileen Power, and author and publisher Virginia Woolf.

Tales of Hardship, Love and Happiness in Tate & Lyle’s East End Factories. On an autumn day in 1944, Ethel Alleyne walked the short distance from her house to Tate & Lyle’s refinery on the shining curve of the Thames. Looking up at the giant gates, Ethel felt like she had been preparing for this moment all her life. She smoothed down her frizzy hair, scraped a bit of dirt off the corner of her shoe and strode through. She was quite unprepared for the sight that met her eyes …

En 1474, una mujer culta, inteligente y fervientemente religiosa de apenas veintitrés años ascendió al trono de Castilla, el reino más poderoso y extenso de España. Tenía por delante el considerable reto de gobernar una corte dominada por hombres y reformar uno de los principales reinos europeos acosado por el crimen, la corrupción y el violento faccionalismo político.

Every queen had ladies-in-waiting. Her confidantes and chaperones, they are the forgotten agents of the Tudor court. Ever present and yet hidden behind the scenes, these women held the secrets and the hearts of some of the Tudor period's most powerful men and women. Experts at survival, negotiating the competing demands of their families and their queen, the ladies-in-waiting of Henry VIII's wives were far more than decorative 'extras': they were serious political players who changed the course of history, and four of them became queen themselves.

Aunque de origen alemán, tuvo una excelente formación a "la francesa". Asumió el cargo de emperatriz como sucesora de su marido Pedro III, que murió en un complot en 1762 (año que Catalina tomó el poder). Por su estrategia de política interior y exterior intentó una europeización del país, y otorgó a la nobleza un puesto relevante que hasta ese momento no habían tenido. Interiormente fracasó su intento de crear un código con las ideas de Montesquieu y vivió una contienda en 1773 con los campesinos, por la nefasta situación social que la población vivía.

At age five, Esme was asked to write in her notebook, but instead, she filled it with drawings—the only way she knew to express herself. At seven, when it was discovered she was partially deaf, she found refuge in her sketchbooks. Shortly after, Esme made her first garment and a passion for sewing and designing was born. As a teenager, she made her way to London where her creative journey truly began.

To many Queen Victoria was a ruler shrouded in myth and mystique, portrayed as an aging, stiff widow. But in truth Britain’s longest-reigning monarch was passionate, expressive, humorous, and unconventional. A. N. Wilson’s exhaustively researched and definitive biography includes a wealth of new material from previously unseen sources, showing us Queen Victoria as she’s never been seen before.

Embark on an inspiring journey through the life and groundbreaking work of Barbara McClintock, a pioneering geneticist whose discoveries revolutionized our understanding of genetics. This captivating book, tailored for young listeners aged 8-14, brings science to life with engaging stories, hands-on activities, and vivid illustrations.

"Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go so much further than people with vastly superior talent." - Sophia Loren Among all the stars in Hollywood, there are few alive who have achieved as iconic a status as Sophia Loren. A stunning beauty whose career started because of an appearance in a beauty pageant in Italy Sophia quickly ascended to the top of the profession.

Approaching retirement and frustrated with her job, Siobhan Daniels made a BIG decision: to start living life on her own terms. Rather than hiding from life's challenges, she bought a motorhome and drove off to find them. Retirement Rebel is Siobhan's honest and uplifting story of how one woman stepped off the merry-go-round of life, slowed down and started enjoying the journey.

Few lives are as dramatic as Lina Kennedy's, and few stories of survival and triumph are as satisfying as this inspirational autobiography. Professionally, Lina is the founder of a multimillion-dollar business based on her hard work, innovations, and discoveries. She speaks and teaches around the world. Yet behind the compelling story of how she built her company lies another drama, the tale of an abused child who could not be crushed. Raised in poverty and dysfunction, she was sustained by her inner strength and by a near-death experience at age seven.

In this book of pen portraits the listener is introduced to obscure ladies who were society stars in their day. From the Churchills to the Mitfords, British and European Royals, to international playboys and film stars, these ladies knew everyone. And everyone knew them, for better or worse.

On December 7th, 1955, Kitty McInerney lay dying in a New York hospital bed. The 47-year-old Irish immigrant, suffering from severe toxemia, was preparing for an emergency c-section to give birth to her 17th child. As a Catholic priest performed her last rites, Kitty succumbed to a rare moment of quiet reflection.

Through the centuries and all over the world, there have been certain men and women whose dedication and hard work have changed our world and the lives of individuals for the better. The names of such are heard so often that everyone should know a few facts about them.

Discover the extraordinary life of Ada Lovelace, the pioneering mathematician who laid the foundation for modern computing. Born in an era when women's potential was often overlooked, Ada defied societal expectations with her brilliance and imagination, creating the first algorithm intended for a machine.

Those who may remember Marian Anderson as simply a "great singer" are probably missing 90 percent of what this trailblazing humanitarian's contribution to our society really accomplished. I have principally drawn on to compile and condense the information presented in this book, along with additional expert creditable eyewitness sources not previously publicly disclosed.

This is the truly remarkable life story of the notorious Ethel Livesey, a serial fraudster and confidence trickster who became a media sensation after she ran out on her society wedding in 1945 and later was arrested for obtaining goods by false pretences. With a prologue by Ethel Livesey's granddaughter, this extraordinary tale of Australia's greatest fraudster is told for the first time in rich and fascinating detail.

Tia Toomey, the world's fittest woman, has won the CrossFit Games an incredible six years in a row and is undeniably a true warrior. She has also trained for the Winter Olympics in bobsledding, competed in the Summer Olympics in weightlifting and was a Commonwealth Games gold medalist. She is, in short, one of the most accomplished and dominant athletes in human history. But for Tia physical fitness is only a small part of overall strength. More important is building mental toughness. In The Heart Is the Strongest Muscle, Tia shows how she reached elite levels by focusing on her "why."