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How women changed the world

Updated Monday, 5th March 2018

Who wrote the first novel over 1000 years ago? Who disguised herself as a man to explore the new world? Take this interactive world tour to discover the stories the history books left out. 

Meet some extraordinary individuals who rewrote the rules rather than accept them; when you return from this voyage of discovery you won't see history in the same way again. Select the targets on the interactive map now to begin your journey and follow the links to hear that woman's story. 

Picture graphic of significant events for women and where they happened shown over a map. The map is pale blue sea and the land is yellow. The pictorial events are in orange bubbles with a linking line to the country they happened in.

To use this tour of how women changed the world:

  • Select the targets that appear on the map next to the illustrative clue.
  • Read the 'Did you know?' clue related to the woman who revolutionised her part of the world.
  • Follow the link 'www.open.edu' or image underneath the 'Did you know?' clue to find out the full story the history books left out. 

Alternatively you can view articles of the women's remarkable stories here.

Like this? Try a free history course

Copyrighted image Icon Used with permission History as commemoration
History as commemoration

Commemoration – remembering and marking your past – makes an important contribution to our sense of community. This free course, History as commemoration, considers ways in which written texts, memorials, letters and photographs can all serve to commemorate events, people and values we wish to remember from our past.

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Copyrighted image Icon Used with permission The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment

The free course will examine the Enlightenment. To help understand the nature and scale of the cultural changes of the time, we offer a 'map' of the conceptual territory and the intellectual and cultural climate. We will examine the impact of Enlightenment on a variety of areas including science, religion, the classics, art and nature. Finally, we will examine the forces of change which led from Enlightenment to Romanticism.

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Copyright free image Icon Copyright free: 12019 Early modern Europe: society and culture c.1500-1780
Early modern Europe: society and culture c.1500-1780

The early modern period from 1500 to 1780 is a fascinating historical period to study. Beginning with the upheavals of the Reformation and ending with the Enlightenment, this was a time of fundamental social, religious and cultural change. Yet, alongside the era's many social developments, you will discover the persistence of some medieval customs and ideas. This module explores this balance of change and continuity through a variety of sources, from manuscript and printed documents such as diaries, pamphlets, legal records and ballads, to the images and objects that early modern people produced and used in their everyday life.

Learn more ❯Early modern Europe: society and culture c.1500-1780

Take it further with an Open University degree

  • Copyrighted image Icon Copyright: Firebrandphotography | Dreamstime.com
    BA (Honours) History

    BA (Honours) History

    This wide-ranging course will develop and deepen your knowledge of different periods of history from around 1500 to the late twentieth century. You'll tackle such exciting and challenging issues as power and warfare, culture and beliefs, health and medicine, imperialism, class and gender. In doing so you'll learn the skills of the historian in studying historical materials; exploring how we understand, interpret and debate past events; and investigating a range of critical approaches.

    Learn moreBA (Honours) History

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Copyrighted image Icon Copyright: Firebrandphotography | Dreamstime.com
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