JK Rowling | Known for the Harry Potter series, not many are aware that she used her initials instead of her full name, because she did not want her gender to influence readers. Her publicist thought that Harry Potter’s target audience would primarily consist of young men and thought that her full name would affect the sale of the books. Joanne Rowling chose her second initial K (for Kathleen) from her paternal grandmother’s name. The author’s school of thought was similar to that of her publicist that young boys wouldn’t want to read a book written by a female writer. (Image: Reuters)

Joan of Arc | Nicknamed as The Maid of Orléans, Joan of Arc was a 15th century peasant girl, who fought against English domination over France. She fought during the Hundred Years’ War disguised as a man. She found her way through the court and was granted military appointment, and considered a big threat by the English. She was captured and her trial comprised a variety of charges, including dressing up like a man. Joan was burnt and killed at the age of 19, but was later found innocent and declared a martyr. (Image: Pexels)

Dr James Barry | Margaret Ann Bulkley (left) took her uncle’s name, James Barry, to enrol into medical school as in the 1780s, Ireland did not permit women to practice in the field of medicine. Barry spent her entire adulthood dressed like a man, draped in an overcoat, spoke in a deep asserted voice and wore 8 cm inserts in her shoes. She joined the British army as a military surgeon and went on to become one of the most successful medical experts of her day. She is the first surgeon to perform a C section. Only at her funeral when the nurses undressed her to wash her body, did they realise that one of the most respected men in medicine was, in fact, a woman. (Image: Public Domain)

Jeanne Baret | In the 1700s women weren’t permitted to sail by the French Navy, but Jeanne Baret made sure she travelled the world. Baret was a ground breaking botanist, who bound her breasts with linen bandages, and became the first woman to circle the globe. She travelled across the world, with her boyfriend Philibert Commerson as his assistant. However, this glorifying tale soon turned into a horrifying tragedy, when the natives of Tahiti realised her gender, and eventually, she was brutally beaten up and gang raped. Jeanne created history by sailing with the French and circumnavigating the globe. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

One eyed Charley | Charley Parkhurst was an American stage coach driver, who lived her life disguised as a man. She put on a pair of pants and worked as a stable hand, managed horses and soon became one of the most feared names in the Wild West. She identified herself as a man, but her disguise wasn’t solely for her work. Charley lost one eye, after getting hoofed by a horse and had a hard reputation for carrying guns. There wasn’t much contemplation regarding her gender until she died of mouth cancer, owing to her long tobacco chewing habit. Charley Parkhurst created history in the year 1867 as the first woman to vote in an American election. (Image: Pinterest)

Rena Kanokogi Rena is a renowned Jewish-American Judo expert, who aspired to be a judo master in the 1950s. However, the problem that kept lingering, between her dreams and reality, was the fact that she was a woman. Her hunger for excelling in the field of martial arts, drove her to the point where she dressed up like a man in the 1959 New York State YMCA Judo Championship, a competition that was only for men. She beat every man she fought, but admitted to the disguise when the judges questioned her. Although she had to give up her medal, she proved her point that women are not fragile, and helped legitimise women’s judo. (Image: Facebook)