International Women's Day quiz: celebrating remarkable women

International Women's Day on 8th March celebrates women's achievements. Here are ten questions about trailblazing women - focusing on lesser-known facts and overlooked pioneers.

1Marie Curie remains the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences. What happened to her personal notebooks?Use in quizUse

Answer:They're still radioactive and stored in lead-lined boxes (visitors must sign a liability waiver)(click to reveal)

2Rosalind Franklin's "Photo 51" was crucial to discovering DNA's structure. Why didn't she share the Nobel Prize with Watson and Crick?Use in quizUse

Answer:She died before the prize was awarded, and Nobels aren't given posthumously(click to reveal)

3Hedy Lamarr was a 1940s Hollywood star. What technology did she co-invent that's still used in WiFi and Bluetooth today?Use in quizUse

Answer:Frequency-hopping spread spectrum (a method of secure radio communication)(click to reveal)

4What did NASA's "human computers" - a team of Black women mathematicians - calculate for the early space program?Use in quizUse

Answer:Orbital trajectories (the maths for rocket launches and landings)(click to reveal)

5Junko Tabei was the first woman to achieve what mountaineering feat in 1975?Use in quizUse

Answer:Summit Mount Everest(click to reveal)

6Why was Kathrine Switzer's 1967 Boston Marathon run controversial, and what happened during the race?Use in quizUse

Answer:Women were banned; officials tried to physically remove her mid-race(click to reveal)

7Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963. How long did it take before America sent a woman to space?Use in quizUse

Answer:20 years (Sally Ride in 1983)(click to reveal)

8What was unusual about Dr James Barry, a British Army surgeon who performed one of the first successful Caesarean sections?Use in quizUse

Answer:After death, it was discovered Barry was assigned female at birth(click to reveal)

9Ada Lovelace is considered the first computer programmer. What insight did she have that even inventor Charles Babbage missed?Use in quizUse

Answer:That computers could process any symbols, not just numbers (could compose music, create graphics)(click to reveal)

10What record does Wangari Maathai hold besides being the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize?Use in quizUse

Answer:Her Green Belt Movement has planted over 50 million trees(click to reveal)

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In 2027, International Women's Day is the day after Mothering Sunday, so the Mother's Day quiz questions can share the weekend. Our quiz calendar lists every other themed date.