Hidden Figures
Victorian women who were pioneers of maths and science
Caroline Herachel 1750-1848
A German astronomer, Caroline was the first woman to discover a comet when she was observing the night sky in August 1786. Recognised for her contributions to astronomy, King George III of Great Britain even hired her to work as an assistant to her own brother, astronomer William Herschel. Through her work, Caroline also added more than 550 stars to the star catalogue that had been created by John Flamsteed, the first-ever appointed royal astronomer in the United Kingdom.
Mary Somerville 1780-1872
Responsible for introducing Ada to some of the best scientific brains of the 19th century, Mary Somerville was a science writer and polymath. Along with Caroline Herschel, she was the first honorary female member of the Royal Astronomical Society. She played an instrumental role in the discovery of Neptune thanks to her work on a hypothetical planet in our Solar System. She also had achievements outside of astronomy, publishing various works to great success, most notably Physical Geography in 1848.
Lady Annabella Byron 1792-1860
Just like her daughter, Lady Byron also had an affinity for mathematics. She was the child that her parents had desperately longed for and she received a brilliant education. Tutored by a Cambridge university professor, Annabella became accomplished in science, literature, philosophy and maths. It was her particular love for the latter that led to Byron awarding her the condescending nickname ‘princess of parallelograms’. After the end of their marriage, Annabella dedicated herself to philanthropy and education reform.
Sofia Kovalevskaya 1850-91
Sofia’s tutor noted her aptitude for mathematics as a young girl and encouraged her studies. It paid off, as she became the first woman in Europe to obtain a doctorate in mathematics and her work on partial differential equations made her famous. She was a professor of mathematics at the University of Stockholm and the first woman to be elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences as a corresponding member. Sofia was also an editor for a scientific journal, the first woman to hold such a role.
Hertha Ayrton 1854-1923
An engineer, mathematician and inventor, Hertha’s friends nicknamed her after a feisty protagonist from a Swedish novel, which she later adopted. She invented an improved version of the electric arc and conducted work on ripples in sand and water. Hertha was the first woman to read her paper before the Institution of Electrical Engineers as well as the first to be nominated as a fellow of the Royal Society in 1902, which awarded her the Hughes Medal four years later for her work in electricity.
Philippa Fawcett 1868-1948
Daughter of suffragist Millicent Fawcett and niece of Elizabeth
Garrett Anderson (the first practicing British female doctor), Fawcett was surrounded by formidable women. Gifted in mathematics, she became the first and only woman to beat the male ‘Senior Wrangler’ (highest scorer) in the tripos (mathematics) exams at the University of Cambridge. She went on to lecture in mathematics at Newnham College, Cambridge, and died just one month after the university finally allowed women to gain bachelor degrees.