Although I am male, my novels tend to feature female protagonists. One of the reasons why I so enjoy writing from a female perspective is because, both in a novel based on history such as Love of Finished Years, and in a novel based on contemporary events such as The Exile, the prevailing account has a heavy male bias. Imagining these events from a woman’s perspective is exciting to me.
In addition to experiencing a story through a fictional woman’s perspective, I think it’s also important to take time to learn about real inspirational women that have made a difference throughout history, even if they weren’t acknowledged at the time. This post features two scientists I believe are worth recognizing.
Mileva Maric: Inspirational Women Overshadowed by Husbands
As Albert Einstein’s first wife, whom he met at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich in the late 1800s, Mileva Maric was involved in her husband’s work, at least to some degree. As Independent explains:
Debate regarding Maric’s role in Einstein’s work has persisted for decades. One side contends that she was a collaborator and even co-authored his papers; the other says she was simply an intelligent sounding board.
Scientific American continues:
While nobody has been able to credit her with any specific part of his work, their letters and numerous testimonies presented in the books dedicated to her provide substantial evidence on how they collaborated from the time they met in 1896 up to their separation in 1914. They depict a couple united by a shared passion for physics, music and for each other.
Although she lived in a time when women were not given credit for their ideas or hard work, and that there isn’t a lot known about her, she belongs on alongside the ranks of inspirational women throughout history; it’s clear that she was a brilliant partner for Einstein, playing an important role of fine-tuning his discoveries. I greatly admire her drive and tenacity for thriving in a male-dominated field.
Marie Curie: Award-Winning Inspirational Women Serving the Greater Good
Photo credit: Alexander Mitrofanov via 123RF
Another female scientist from the late 1800s, Marie Curie is known for her contributions to the field in addition to her two Nobel Prizes, one for physics and one for chemistry. In fact, Mental Floss reports, “She remains the only person to ever receive Nobel Prizes for two different sciences.”
She may be an obvious choice as she’s commonly thought of among inspirational women, but I greatly admire that Curie focused her expertise and connections into ways to help in the surrounding conflict. During World War I, France asked for gold to help fund the war effort. She tried to donate her Nobel medals, but bank officials refused them; instead she contributed her prize money.
Following her donation, she focused her efforts on x-ray technology and realized their potential in the battlefield. Mental Floss explains:
Curie convinced the French government to name her Director of the Red Cross Radiology Service and persuaded her wealthy friends to fund her idea for a mobile x-ray machine. She learned to drive and operate the vehicle herself and treated wounded soldiers at the Battle of the Marne, ignoring protests from skeptical military doctors. Her invention was proven effective at saving lives, and ultimately 20 “petite Curies,” as the x-ray machines were called, were built for the war.
Following the war, Curie founded centers for medical research that are still being used today. As world events happened around her, she found ways to use her abilities for the greater good.
As you look back at history, you can see inspirational women – some recognized at the time and some not. Mileva Maric and Marie Curie both studied physics, despite living in cultures that did not often welcome female scientists. Their pursuits required drive, ambition and strength of character, attributes I try to convey in any female protagonist I create, regardless of their education and expertise.
If you want to read a couple of fictional stories about inspirational women, pick up your copy of Love of Finished Years today and pre-order The Exile, coming out this April.