One example is Eunice Foote, who in 1856 discovered that carbon dioxide traps heat, which was an early clue about the greenhouse effect. However, her work was ignored, and years later, John Tyndall was given credit for similar discoveries. Another example is Rosalind Franklin, who used X-ray images to study the structure of DNA. Her research was very important in discovering DNA's shape, but James Watson and Francis Crick got most of the recognition. Esther Lederberg also played a big role in the study of bacteria and genetics, but her husband, Joshua Lederberg, was the one who received most of the credit and even won a Nobel Prize for research she helped develop.
Women in other areas, like literature and paleontology, also struggled to be recognized. Elizabeth Barrett Browning used her poem "Aurora Leigh" to talk about women's roles in society and the challenges they faced. Her work encouraged discussions about gender equality, but she was not fully appreciated at the time. Mary Anning made important fossil discoveries, including the first complete skeleton of an ichthyosaurus, which helped shape the field of paleontology. Even though her discoveries were valuable, she was often ignored because she was a woman. These examples show how many women's achievements were overlooked, even though their work was groundbreaking. Today, more people are learning about their contributions, but their struggles remind us of the unfair treatment women have faced in science, literature, and other fields.