Emma Mashinini (1929-2017) risked her life and reputation to fight for Black worker’s rights under apartheid in South Africa. She spent months isolated in prison without chargers for her work as a trade unionist and activist for African and women’s rights.

Revolutionaries: Emma Mashinini

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Rose Valland (1898-1980) was an art historian and curator based in Paris during the Nazi occupation. She hid in plain sight as a secretary, documenting the shipments of artistic masterpieces out of France, and is responsible for the discovery and protection of over 60,000 pieces of looted artwork.

Disappearing Acts: Rose Valland

Sugawara no Takasue no musume (1008-approx. 1059), or Takasue’s daughter, was the author of “Sarashina Nikki,” or “Sarashina Diary,” a well-known book providing an in-depth look at life during Japan’s Heian period. While the book remains prolific and relevant even today, we don’t know the author's name.

Disappearing Acts: Takasue’s Daughter

Anastasia Romanov (1901-1918) was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia. Her death was hotly debated for years, as she was believed to have survived her family’s execution.

Disappearing Acts: Anastasia Romanov

Marguerite de la Rocque (c. 1542) was meant to disappear. That’s what her older relative, Sieur de Roberval, intended to happen when he marooned Marguerite on an uninhabited Canadian island. But against all odds, she survived instead.

Disappearing Acts: Marguerite de la Rocque

Barbara Newhall Follet (1914-unknown) was an American child prodigy novelist. She published two books before she was a teenager and wrote poetry as well. When she was in her twenties, she left her house after fighting with her husband and was never seen again.

Revolutionaries: Emma Mashinini

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