Category Social Sciences

Imelda Marcos was the wife of Ferdinand E. Marcos, the 10th president of Philippines. Known as the steel butterfly, she lived a life of luxury. She owned 2700 pairs of shoes. 

Mata Hari was the stage name of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, a Dutch dancer. During World War I, the French sent her to spy in Belgium, but she helped their enemy Germany also. So, she was shot dead by a French firing squad. 

Phoolan Devi was the bandit queen in the Chambal valley. She led a gang of dacoits and targeted high caste – villages. She became a heroine in popular imagination. Finally she surrendered in 1983. Later she was elected to the Lok Sabha. But, she was shot dead by her enemies in 2001.

Diana was the princess of hearts; so popular was she. She married Prince Charles, heir to the British Throne. Diana, Princess of Wales was a beautiful woman who played the leading role in more than a hundred charities. She gave birth to two sons. On August 30, 1997 she died in a car crash.

       Jiang Qing’s early life included an acting career, failed marriages and jail time for alleged radical activity. In 1938, she became wife to the great communist leader Mao Zedong. She made constant bids for power up the ladder of the Communist Party and eventually came to lead a powerful group known as the Gang of Four.

       The Gang of Four reigned over every cultural institution in China, ordered the destruction of countless ancient books, buildings and paintings. Jiang claimed she was only following the orders of Chairman Mao, but in practice, she abused her position to pursue political enemies and target anything ‘intellectual’ or ‘artistic’. After Mao’s death, she was tried and convicted in 1981, and imprisoned for life. She committed suicide 1991.

One of the glamorous women of all time, Marilyn Monroe’s real name was Norma Jeanne Morteson but was baptized as Norma Jeanne Baker. Born in 1926, she became one of the celebrated film personalities of her time. She was now among the most famous women in the world. She died on August 5th, 1962 from an overdose of sleeping pills.