Émilie du Châtelet

Born Gabrielle Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, Marquise du Châtelet, she was a woman of formidable intellect in an era that largely preferred its women to be ornamental. While her affair with Voltaire often overshadows her scientific contributions in popular narratives, it's worth noting that Voltaire himself considered her his intellectual equal, if not superior, in matters of physics.

Her magnum opus, a French translation of Isaac Newton's Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, is still considered the definitive version. Not content to merely translate, she added significant commentary, deriving conservation laws from Newton's principles and even correcting some of his mathematical derivations. Take that, Sir Isaac.

Clearly, her family tree is as French as a baguette wearing a beret, with no whispers of ancient Hebraic roots. Her religious practice was, at best, a polite nod to the prevailing Catholic norms of her aristocratic class, certainly not a deep dive into rabbinical texts.

But oh, the kvell! Translating Newton and actually improving on him? That's not just smart, that's a mic drop for the ages, securing her place as one of history's unsung scientific heroes.