In modern times, human history is well-documented thanks to social media
and the internet. These modern technologies allow us to document and share events in real-time
from different perspectives around the world. But human history hasn’t always been like that
and sometimes you’ll come across the unknown history of the world.
5 - Night Witches
The story of the 588th Regiment of the Soviet Army is a perfect example of a story from history
that has all but been forgotten. This little piece of unknown history
demonstrates the will and determination of women in the Soviet Union and how their willingness
and sacrifices benefitted the cause at hand. At the onset of World War II, Marina Raskova
put her aviation skills to proper use and joined the Soviet Army as a navigator.
At the time, women in the Soviet Union were allowed to serve in the armed forces,
however, they found themselves placed in more auxiliary roles such as navigators or engineers.
Word quickly spread about Marina’s valiant efforts as the first female Soviet Navigator
and she received hundreds of letters from other women who wanted to join and fight. Seeing the
toll that the war was taking on her comrades, Marina wrote to Joseph Stalin and asked for
permission for women to be allowed into combat and to create an all-female fighting squadron.
Stalin saw the same trajectory for his troops as Marina did and granted permission for 3 female
squadrons to be created, the most infamous of which and the one we’re going to be talking about,
the 588th. Marina was overjoyed to hear that Stalin had signed off on the squadron
and began filing through more than 2,000 application forms. In the end, she selected
400 women for the 3 new squadrons and set about training them at the Engles School of Aviation.
Their male counterparts had years of experience on them and subsequently, the women of the 588th
Regiment were forced to condense years of training into a matter of months.
The women of the 588th were expected to learn how to be a pilot, a navigator, as well as being able
to perform maintenance and groundwork. The men at the base didn’t take their arrival lightly,
they were constantly harassed and were forced to wear hand-me-down uniforms
and shoes that were far too big and had been designed purely for men.
The spirit of the women of the 588th never broke and on June 12th 1942
they were summoned for their first official mission.
Whilst their male counterparts enjoyed the top of the range planes and brand new technology,
the female’s planes were incredibly slow, however, the 588th quickly realised that
because of the wooden and canvas frames, they were light enough to outmanoeuvre enemies in the sky.
The 588th flew without parachutes, radars or even radios but quickly cemented themselves in
the minds of the opposition. Their job was to fly over German-occupied lands in the Soviet
Union throughout the night, ensuring that the Nazi’s got little to no rest
and were in constant fear of bombardment. Up to 80 women would fly between 8 and 18 times a night,
all whilst suffering in the below-freezing conditions
without much protection. Their nighttime tirades earned them the name ‘Night Witches’.
The women quickly embraced this new nickname
and wore it as a badge of honour rather than seeing it as an insult. By May 1945 the Night
Witches had successfully conducted over 30,000 missions as a unit. Once the war was over,
Marina and other leaders of the unit were given the “Hero of the Soviet Union” award
and became some of the first women in the Soviet Union to ever achieve such a commendation.
4 -
Mariya Oktyabrskaya
Similar to the unknown story of the Night Witches is that of
Mariya Oktyabrskaya (octa-brisk-eee-uh), her story is perhaps one of the most incredible in history,
however, it remains as one of the most forgotten. Born in 1905 in a small village in Ukraine,
Mariya did not have an easy start in life. Her family were forced to flee
to a village in the very far east of Russia in 1930. Up until that point,
they were under constant surveillance and were the subject of distrust following the revolution.
Luckily for Mariya, she had married a cavalry officer named Ilya in early 1925
and was able to stay in her village. Both she and Ilya decided that their new married name
would be ‘Oktyabrskaya’ which means October, in honour of the October Revolution her family were
accused of standing against. Mariya may have escaped exile but her husband’s job meant that
she had to travel around her former hometown with him whilst he worked on various missions.
Whilst in the barracks of whichever city or town she was in, Mariya busied herself and learnt how
to drive and mastered several weapons. When she wasn’t working on her military skills, she worked
as a telephone operator and told her fellow military wives “Marry a military man and you
will serve in the army; being an officer’s wife is not only a proud woman but a responsible one.”
Mariya and Ilya believed they were living a good and happy life,
however, the onset of World War II was slowly creeping up behind them.
In 1940, Ilya was transferred out to Moldova whilst Mariya, along with the other military
wives were sent into Siberia for their own safety. Mariya did her best to get on with life,
knowing that one day, she and her beloved husband would be reunited.
Sadly, in 1943 she received news that Ilya had passed away in 1941 in Kyiv
and that officials had withheld the news from her for over two years.
Something inside Mariya changed and overnight she became a force to be reckoned with. Over
the course of the next few months, she plunged herself into fundraising 50,000
rubles in order to buy herself a tank. She sold all of her possessions and went round
the towns and villages, pleading with people to support her cause. In the end,
Mariya raised the money needed and the Soviet Army agreed to her buying a tank and being the driver.
Mariya wrote the words “Fighting Girlfriend” on the side of her T-34 tank and vowed to avenge
her husband Ilya. Mariya and her infamous tank fought in battles across the country,
but in January 1944 Maryia was injured whilst she was performing repairs to her tank.
She passed as a result of her injuries, however, the legacy of the “Fighting Girlfriend” lived on
and forced the Soviet Union to readdress their stance
on women of war. She was also given the “Hero of the Soviet Union” award posthumously.
3 -
Nellie Bly
Nellie Bly’s work has largely gone undiscussed by modern historians
but her work is perhaps some of the creepiest in history.
In 1887 Nellie Bly found herself in New York, desperate for work. She had recently left her
job as a reporter at the Pittsburgh Dispatch and hoped to further her career in New York but sadly,
this wasn’t the case. Nellie had underestimated how difficult it would be for a woman to get a job
as a reporter at the time and 4 months into her search she almost called it quits. That was until
she met Joseph Pulitzer of the ‘New York World’ magazine and convinced him to give her a job.
This job was to be unlike any other that Nellie had ever done before and
saw her on the front lines of some of the worst conditions in New York.
Pulitzer had asked Nellie to go undercover and fake insanity to gain entrance into
the Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell’s Island and write a report on the conditions.
In her book, 10 days in a madhouse Nellie wrote “I had some faith in my own ability as an actress
and thought I could assume insanity long enough to accomplish any mission entrusted to me. Could
I pass a week at the insane ward at Blackwell’s Island? I said I could and I would. And I did.”
In total, Nellie spent 10 days in the asylum before Pulitzer got her out,
her magazine article sent shockwaves across New York as residents' worst fears became a reality.
People had often heard stories of the mistreatment of those locked away in asylums but never before
had they read a first-hand account from someone who had witnessed it themselves.
In the article, Nellie wrote how she was subjected to ice-cold baths, inedible
food with spiders in it and was given a single woollen blanket to keep herself warm at night.
Blackwell’s Island was the subject of a lengthy investigation after the article was published
and whilst they tried their best to deflect the blame and cover up their shortcomings,
the investigating bodies saw right through it and implemented changes as well as boosting the
budgets for such institutions. Nellie’s work was not only dangerous but necessary and her bravery
to undercover in such an institution brought about real change for those who were affected.
2 -
Percy Julian
Percy Julian was determined to break down the barriers and stigma in place against
young African American men in not only the scientific circle but society as a whole.
Ever since his birth, Percy had the prejudice of being the grandson of an enslaved person riding
against him but this did little to stop him. Percy was born in 1899 in Montgomery, Alabama
and by the time he had reached high school, the world had done little
to prepare him for life as an academic. In fact, people were almost certain that Percy wouldn’t
achieve his dreams of becoming a chemist, but thankfully, he went on to prove them wrong.
After graduating high school, Percy attended DePauw University where he studied chemistry,
working day and night to finish his studies. His hard work and dedication paid off and in 1920
he graduated first in his class with honours, much to the amazement of everyone else at DePauw.
Percy didn’t stop there, after completing his undergraduate degree he took a teaching
position at Fisk University before he was offered a scholarship at Harvard University.
Percy dreamed of completing his PhD at Harvard, however, the university would not allow him to.
Many would have given up by now but Percy was determined and after meeting Josef Pikl who
worked at the University of Vienna, Percy decided it was time to pack his bags and
obtain his PhD elsewhere. Pikl and Percy got on famously and once their time was up in Vienna,
the two-headed back to the U.S to work at DePauw University.
It would be at DePauw University where Percy would make history when he successfully synthesised
a chemical that is now widely used to treat Glaucoma. He pioneered methods that allowed
scientists to synthesise hormones and other compounds artificially, his work is the driving
force behind the synthesis of progesterone, testosterone, cortisone and hydrocortisone.
Despite his many successes and advancements, DePauw University refused to make him a professor
because of his race. He also tried to get a job in the private sector, however, also found that
companies rejected him due to his race. Finally, Glidden Company approached him with a job offer
and Percy went on to have a successful career with them as the lab director. In 1973,
Percy Julian became the first Black chemist to be elected into the National Academy of Sciences.
It wasn’t until decades later that Percy’s achievements were
recognised by the scientific community and to this day, his legacy lives on.
1 -
Forgotten Rome
Hidden deep in America’s history is an ancient indigenous city that is
believed to be the jumping-off point of many advanced societies throughout North America.
The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is located near Collinsville,
Illinois and is one of only 20 World Heritage Sites in the U.S. Historians believe that the
civilisation existed from 600 - 1400 AD and that it served as the largest central hub for what we
know as the Mesoamerican civilisations throughout the U.S, Canada and Mexico.
Many groups of people called Cahokia home such as the Natchez, the Pensacola,
the Choctaw and the Ofo. Archaeologists and historians also uncovered that at least 1/3 of the
population had originated from elsewhere before moving into the metropolis and calling it home.
Other evidence shows that the people of Cahokia farmed, traded and hunted just like any other
civilisation and also meticulously planned their land to ensure that everyone was able to fit.
It has been estimated that the population of Cahokia was anywhere between 8,000 and 40,000
and in 1250 its population was far bigger than that of London. Many people in the U.S are unaware
of the historically significant site right in front of their eyes. How come Cahokia didn’t
make it into the history books like so many other civilisations that came afterwards? Well, in 1350,
Cahokia was mysteriously abandoned by everyone who lived there. Historians have been unable to
come to a solid conclusion as war, nor disease had been able to disrupt the metropolis before 1350.
Cahokia has somewhat faded into obscurity and is now known to historians as “The Forgotten Rome”.