Women who were never boring- always awesome!
These are famous
women from history. Some were known for their beauty, some for their
scandalous love affairs, and others for what they achieved in their
lives. But they all had one thing in com
mon. They were strong,
independent women – women of spirit who weren’t afraid to take a chance.
They grabbed life with both hands and to Hell with the rest of the
world!
EVEShe
was the one who started it all! She took a bite out of an apple that a
serpent gave herand passed it to Adam, thereby creating original sin. It
is because of her that women throughout time have been blamed for being
seductresses.
A role model for ever?
CLEOPATRACleopatra
ruled ancient Egypt for almost three decades. Well-educated and clever,
she was a dominant ruler. Both her love affairs and military pacts with
the Roman leaders, both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, as well as her
striking beauty and powers of seduction, have earned her a lasting place
in history.
The true love story of Antony and Cleopatra, two
powerful figures, is intriguing and moving, and one of the great love
stories of all times. They fell in love at first sight, and their
relationship gave the country of Egypt great power. But their love
affair angered the Romans, who were wary of the growing powers of the
Egyptians. Despite all the threats, Antony and Cleopatra married. While
he was fighting a battle against the Romans, Antony got false news of
Cleopatra's death. Devastated, he fell on his sword. When Cleopatra
learned about Antony's death she was broken-hearted, and took her own
life by means of an asp bite on August 12, 30 BC.
What a woman!
JOAN OF ARC
In
1424, at the age of 13, Jeanne d’Arc, an illiterate French shepherdess
began having visions, in which Saint Margaret, Saint Catherine, and
Saint Michael told Joan, as she was known in English, she must support
King Charles VII and help rid France of the English. At the head of her
troops Joan led them to capture first Orleans, then Rheims, Paris, and
many other towns in an effort to free France from the English.
While
the French lauded her for her accomplishments, the English declared her
a heretic. Joan was captured eventually by the Burgundians, allies of
the English, to whom they traded her for money. The English put her on
trial, quickly convicted her and sentenced her to death.
On May
30, 1431, at the age of 19, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for her
crimes against the English. In 1456, Pope Callixtux III declared that
Joan was innocent of her crimes; at this time, she became a martyr. In
1909, Joan of Arc was beatified, meaning she was accorded the power to
intervene on behalf of those who prayed in her name. In 1920, she was
canonized, which is an official declaration of Sainthood.
A French heroine, brave beyond belief!
Queen Elizabeth 1st
Queen
Elizabeth 1 ruled England from 1558 – 1603, and left us with an amazing
picture of a glittering time of excitement and achievement. The Queen,
larger than life as she inspired her people, was at the center of it
all.
Her father was the notorious King Henry the Eight, who had
six wives. Elizabeth was the daughter of his second wife, Anne Boleyn,
who was beheaded for suspected adultery and other trumped-up crimes,
when Elizabeth was only three years old.
Elizabeth ruled wisely
and fairly for forty five years, taking advice from her council of
learned men, but going her own way. In spite of pressure from her
advisers she refused to ever marry, and became known as the ‘Virgin
Queen’. However, she loved the attention of her devoted courtiers, and
was rumored to have affairs – particularly with her favourite, Robert,
Lord Dudley who, it is believed, was her one true love, and, in later
years, with Robert Devereux, the young earl of Essex.
She was a
diplomatic ruler who restored the Church of England and eased tensions
between England and France, and England thrived throughout her reign.
In an age when women were considered inferior to men, Elizabeth was a glorious exception.
Mae West
A
1930’s Hollywood sex symbol, Mae West was assertive in an age when
women were supposed to be submissive; she was openly bawdy when
respectability was the order of the day.
She began her career as a
child star in vaudeville, and later went on to write her own plays,
including "SEX", for which she was arrested and sentenced to 10 days in
jail for ‘corrupting the morals of youth.’ She got her first part in the
movies in 1932, and with her first film she became a box-office smash
hit, breaking all sorts of attendance records.
The controversy
aroused by the sexy content in her first two films resulted in the
studios establishing the Motion Picture Production Code, which regulated
what content could be shown or said in pictures. After this she used
’double talk’, which could be interpreted in two ways, to get around the
censorship rules.
Although she only appeared in 12 films, as
well as spending much time on the stage, she had a powerful impact on
the public. She was way ahead of her time with her sexual innuendos and
the way she made fun of the puritanical society of the day.
She once quipped, ‘You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.’
She made sex her tool of trade, when women were supposed to be ladies.
Amy Johnson
In
1930 Amy Johnson was the first woman to fly solo from England to
Australia, and she set a string of other records throughout her career.
She was regarded as one of the most inspirational women of the twentieth
century.
She worked as a typist for a firm of solicitors until, at a
loose end one Sunday afternoon, she made her way to Stag Lane Aerodrome
in North London. She was enthralled by the primitive biplanes taking
off and landing, and began to spend all her spare time at the aerodrome.
She gained a ground engineer’s license and took flying lessons, and in
1929 she was awarded her pilot’s license.
Amy left Croydon
Airport on May 5th 1930 to fly solo from England to Australia. She was
in a second-hand Gipsy Moth called Jason, with no radio link with the
ground or reliable information about the weather. Her maps were basic
but she had plotted the most direct route – simply by placing a ruler on
the map. This took her over some of the world’s most inhospitable
terrain and meant she had to fly in the open cockpit for at least eight
hours at a time. In spite of a forced landing in a sandstorm in the Iraq
desert she reached India in a record six days, and suddenly she was
world famous. She became called the 'British Girl Lindbergh', 'Wonderful
Miss Johnson' and 'The Lone Girl Flyer'.
When she ran into a
monsoon near Rangoon a bumpy landing ripped a hole in Jason’s wing and
damaged its propeller. A local technical institute repaired the wing and
Amy landed in Australia on Saturday, May 24th to tumultuous crowds.
Over the next six weeks she was treated like a superstar. Women asked
their hairdressers for an ‘Amy Johnson wave’ and at least ten songs were
written about her, the most famous being ‘Amy, Wonderful Amy’. Fan
mail poured in and her fame was so great that an envelope addressed to
‘Amy wat flies in England’ reached her
After a short courtship,
Amy married Scottish pilot Jim Mollison in 1932, and they became known
as the “flying sweethearts”. They both created many more records and won
many air races. America took them to their hearts. They were given a
ticker tape parade in New York and entertained by President Roosevelt.
A daring adventurer.
Elizabeth Taylor
One
of the greatest beauties of all time, Elizabeth Taylor started dancing
at the age of 3, made her screen debut at the age of 10, and had a love
life that made international headlines. She shone as an actress, winning
two Oscars and numerous film awards, and her films grossed many
millions at the box office.
Her personal life received constant
media attention, and the public adored her for her passionate embrace of
life. She was married eight times to seven men, and led a jet set
lifestyle, and amassed an incredibly expensive collection of jewelry.
Her most famous marriage was the fiery and passionate one to Richard Burton, whom she married twice.
She was the movie star of all times, with her marriages, her jewelry, her amazing violet eyes her talent, and her spirit.
Shortly
after her death, her son Michael Wilding released a statement, saying
"My mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest,
with great passion, humor, and love ..... We will always be inspired by
her enduring contribution to our world."
Truly a woman of spirit!
Kitty Morland, although not famous was also 'A WOMAN of SPIRIT'
http://a.co/ctaYRGFKate Loveday
