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Introduction

Hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and welcome to the adventure that is We Can Do Anything!

Within these colorful and informative pages, there is something for everyone—a little bit of round-the-world record-breaking here, some major history changers there … But mostly, this book is a wonderful opportunity for each of us to hear about the making of the world around us, and to listen to the female voices—so often silenced by history books and social norms—that spoke so much of the world’s wisdom.

I sometimes think about a fridge magnet I once saw, which said, “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” I wanted to give this inanimate magnet the power of speech, because its message was the same as the one that I hoped to deliver through this book: for much of history, a majority of the silent voices were those of girls and women. I know that some of you are thinking, “but it’s the 21st century, and everyone from Beyoncé to Taylor Swift, Joseph Gordon Levitt to Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, is leaning in, standing up, and shouting loud in support of women.” That’s true, so you might also say that feminism’s no longer a dirty word and women have made it—and that this book is simply an attractive, educational, historical, and “politically correct” artefact about a time and place where women found themselves to be the supporting acts on an otherwise masculine stage … Right? Wrong.

If history has taught us anything, it is that those great thinkers and doers of the past must stand as inspiring examples for us to learn from—and do better. For every woman who has chipped away at the glass ceiling of business, or outperformed every other runner on the track, there are still millions of others who never even make it to the starting line. My wish is for you, dear readers, the creators of the future, to ensure that we all learn from the greatness that came before, in order to make the future even greater—for all.

Within these pages, I have included more than 200 incredible women who I believe to have been at the top of their game within their chosen fields. However, there are simply not enough pages to include every great individual, and the selection I have made is limited by my own research and subjectivity. I invite you to include your own “greats” within the pages of this book. You will find blank pages at the end of each chapter, where you can add the names and details of the women who really mean something to you—be they big names from history, or current affairs, or people from your own life who have inspired and amazed you. Make this book your own.

Caitlin Doyle

June 2016