Kathrine Switzer | Kathy Switzer is the first woman to run in the Boston marathon, an event where women were considered too fragile to participate. Switzer signed for the 1967 Boston Marathon as KV Switzer, pretending to be a man, wearing a baggy sweatshirt. Her lipstick caught enough attention and an official stormed on the track, asking her to quit the race. However, she gained enough support to complete and went on to win the New York marathon of 1974. (Image: Flickr)
Agnodice | Ancient Greece was barbaric towards women, patriarchy forced them to behave and obey in silence. Agnodice disguised as a man to help women in labour, as practicing medicine for a woman in Greece was considered impudent behaviour. As soon as she started getting popular among her patients, men in the profession started accusing her of seduction and was charged with sexual abuse. However, the law in Athens changed, when her patients flooded the court room insisting that Agnodice had revolutionised female health care. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Khawlah Bint AI-Azwar | A legendary Arab warrior, Khawlah was initially a nurse to her brother who was a commander of the Rashidun army. However, when her brother was captured during the Muslim conquest, she wore the armour, veiled her face and fought along the men. She was called on by the army general for her valour and as she revealed her face, the rest of the army stood in shock. Khawlah was soon captured by the Byzantines and put in a women's prison, where she formed an army and fought against the Byzantines. (Image: Youtube/TheGr8virtue)
Norah Vincent | Journalist Norah Vincent, dressed like a man, took voice lessons to speak like a man, and befriended other men to understand gender disparity. She wore a thick padded jacket, and joined a bowling league with the name Ned. In her book "Self-Made Man: My Year Disguised as a Man", Norah recounts her 18-month long experience, where she talks about her stint as a man and her alter ego Ned, visiting strip clubs and dating other women. (Image: Wikipedia)