Radiant Shadows: The Women Who Built Modern Science and Were Erased from History

History remembers the men who built modern science. It's time to meet the women they erased. We all know the names Einstein, Newton, and Curie. But what about the woman whose Ph.D. thesis was called "the most brilliant ever written in astronomy," yet whose discovery was ignored and later credited to a man? Or the scientist whose X-ray work revealed the double helix of DNA, only to have her data used without her permission? "Radiant Shadows" is a stunning and essential rewriting of history, uncovering the forgotten stories of the brilliant women whose foundational discoveries were overlooked, co-opted, or buried by their male colleagues. Author Jerome Ellis brings to light the lives and legacies of these scientific pioneers who battled systemic sexism and institutional barriers to change the world. This is not just a collection of biographies; it is an act of restoration. Inside, you will meet the true minds behind some of the 20th century's greatest breakthroughs, including Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, who discovered that stars are made primarily of hydrogen; Rosalind Franklin, whose crucial Photograph 51 unlocked the secret of DNA's structure; Lise Meitner, a physicist who was instrumental in the discovery of nuclear fission but was denied the Nobel Prize; Chien-Shiung Wu, the "First Lady of Physics," whose brilliant experiments overturned a fundamental law of nature; and Hedy Lamarr, the Hollywood star whose inventive mind co-created the frequency-hopping technology that is the backbone of today's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. "Radiant Shadows" is a powerful testament to the women who were not just "in" science—they were science. This is the history you were never taught, a celebration of forgotten brilliance that will change the way you see the story of scientific discovery forever.