10 Famous Women Who Dressed as Men to Get Ahead

Joan of Arc: Known for her role in the Hundred Years' War, Joan of Arc dressed in male armor to lead French troops against the English.

Deborah Sampson: During the American Revolutionary War, Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man.

Hua Mulan: A legendary Chinese figure, Mulan is said to have disguised herself as a man to take her father’s place in the army.

Catalina de Erauso: Known as the "Lieutenant Nun," Catalina de Erauso was a Spanish woman who fled a convent, dressed as a man.

Hannah Snell: An Englishwoman who served as a Royal Marine, Hannah Snell disguised herself as a man named James Gray.

Dorothy Lawrence: An aspiring journalist during World War I, Dorothy Lawrence dressed as a man to become a soldier and report from the front lines.

Mary Read: A famous pirate who, along with Anne Bonny, dressed as a man while serving on pirate ships in the early 18th century.

Nadezhda Durova: A Russian woman who disguised herself as a man to join the cavalry during the Napoleonic Wars.

Margaret Ann Bulkley (James Barry): A pioneering surgeon in the British Army, Margaret Ann Bulkley lived her adult life as a man under the name James Barry.

Sarah Emma Edmonds: During the American Civil War, Sarah Emma Edmonds enlisted in the Union Army disguised as a man named Franklin Thompson.

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