Amazing Women from History!

 

Ever since I was a young girl, three women from history have enthralled and inspired me!  I’ve spent some time reflecting upon just what the reason is for my fascination with these women.  Are their admirable traits the ones I see as the most important characteristics an individual can possess?  Why have these three women captured my attention for most of my life?  Upon careful consideration, I determined that the single most desirable trait anyone can have is a deep love and concern for other human beings.   While I don’t doubt for a moment that each of these women possessed that trait to an significant degree, for the most part, it is their other extraordinary characteristics that have captured my attention.

Who are these amazing women and what outstanding traits do they have?  They are Helen Keller whose Bravery, Persistence and Determination leave me in awe; Anne Frank whose Bravery, Belief in Humanity and Optimism captivate me, and Amelia Earhart whose Courage, Individuality  and Adventurous Spirit inspire me. The reason that these women amaze and astound me is that they were incredibly brave!  It’s an inescapable fact that life is hard and to merely survive, and most certainly to succeed and thrive, one must be brave.

The quality of loving and having concern for others is one that most people possess, albeit to different degrees.  It comes with pleasant feelings and doesn’t usually require great effort.  On the other hand, certainly Bravery, and most (if not all), of the other admirable traits these amazing women from history possess, are difficult to put into practice and  associated with some measure of unpleasantness.  While it’s most often easy to love; it’s nearly always difficult to be brave!

Amazing Women from History

Helen Keller

Photo Credit: http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/helen-keller-201.php

Born with the ability to see and hear Helen Keller contracted a disease at 19 months old that left her completely blind and deaf.  What a lonely and terrifying world she had to live in!  I read a lengthy biography about Helen Keller and the challenges she faced and the life she lived.  With true courage, she learned to read, to write and to communicate.  With relentless persistence and incredible determination, she went on to become an educated, functioning and contributing member of society. She is known for being the first blind-deaf person to earn a bachelor of arts degree, as well as for being an author, political activist, and lecturer.

Photo Credit: http://www.uncompromisingcommitment.org/articles/2013/06/helen-keller

Famous Quotes by Helen Keller:

Life is either a great adventure or nothing.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.

Anne Frank

Photo Credit: https://www.scrapbookpages.com/AnneFrank/AnneFrank01.html

Anne Frank, a Jewish teenager became famous posthumously upon the publishing of her journal about her experiences as a victim of the holocaust.  She faced persecution, oppression, imprisonment and cruelty with incredible courage.  Her story is so poignant and sorrowful that I have not been able to bring myself to read an entire biography about her life, though as a student and a teacher I have studied enough to know what an amazing woman she was!  If anyone ever had reason to despair and to abandon every belief that humanity possesses any redeemable quality, it was Anne Frank.  Yet, her journal entries document how she faced an unimaginably horrific plight with bravery and optimism and without losing her faith in humanity as a whole!

School Photo Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Frank

Famous Quotes by Anne Frank:

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

Whoever is happy will make others happy too.

Amelia Earhart

Photo Credits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart

Amelia Earhart, a brave and adventurous woman, was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, for which she received the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross .  She lived in a time when women still faced significant oppression and limited gender roles placed upon them by society.  Yet as the first female aviator to fly solo over the Atlantic Ocean, she overcame those limitations and defied those gender roles.  Unafraid to express her unique individuality and follow her adventurous spirit, today Amelia Earhart is remembered as an aviation pioneer, an expert in aeronautical engineering and a bestselling author.  A recent documentary speculates what might have happened to Amelia Earhart, but no one knows for sure.  What we do know that she lived a courageous life, until she disappeared on a circumnavigation flight around the world on  July 2, 1937.

Photo Credit: http://www.gritfire.com/pantheon/40-amelia-earhart

Famous Quotes by Amelia Earhart:

Women must try to do things as men have tried.  When they fail their failure must be but a challenge to others.

The most effective way to do it, is to do it.

Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn’t be done.

It is apparent, that after love, the second most important quality a person can possess is Bravery.  In fact, it is a requirement for all who wish to live a successful and fulfilling life!   Helen Keller, Anne Frank and Amelia Earhart are amazing women from history who lived lives that required of them tremendous courage and they are remarkable examples of just what it truly means to be Brave!

Also, check out these related products from Amazon.  If you click on the photos or the descriptions below, you’ll be redirected to Amazon where you can purchase the products.

A History of Women in America: From Founding Mothers to Feminists-How Women Shaped the Life and Culture of America

The Story of My Life

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

DK Publishing: Amelia Earhart (DK Biography)