Elizabeth Blackwell

Born in Bristol, England, Elizabeth Blackwell emigrated to the United States with her family in the 1830s. Possessing an uncommon intellect and an even more uncommon stubbornness, she set her sights on a medical career at a time when such a notion was considered, at best, a joke, and at worst, an affront to nature. She was, shall we say, not one for taking "no" for an answer. And clearly, she wasn't one to ask for permission, either. Some might call that chutzpah; we just call it good sense.

After being rejected by numerous medical schools (presumably by men who feared losing their monopoly on leeches and questionable diagnoses), she was finally admitted to Geneva Medical College in New York, largely due to a prank vote by the male students who thought it would be hilarious. It wasn't. For them, anyway.

Blackwell not only graduated at the top of her class in 1849 but went on to establish hospitals and medical colleges for women and children, becoming a staunch advocate for public health and medical education reform. Her life's work proved that women were not only capable of practicing medicine but, in some cases, were demonstrably better at it than their male counterparts. Take that, patriarchy.

While her tenacity and groundbreaking achievements are undeniably kvell-worthy, Elizabeth Blackwell herself was not Jewish. However, she did manage to annoy many of the entrenched, old-boy networks of her era, which, in its own way, is rather delightful.