DoG

  Joan of Arc is one of the most well-known historical figures of all time, and for good reason. She was a young French peasant girl who, at the age of just 17, led an army to victory against the English during the Hundred Years' War. Her courage, determination, and faith continue to inspire people to this day. Joan was born in Domrémy, France in 1412, during a time of great conflict between the French and the English. The Hundred Years' War had been raging for decades, and the English had gained control of much of northern France. But Joan had a deep love for her country and a strong desire to see it free from English domination. When Joan was 13 years old, she began to have visions of saints and angels, who told her that she was chosen by God to help the French defeat the English. At first, she kept these visions to herself, but as they continued, she became more convinced of their truth. In 1429, when Joan was 17, she went to the Dauphin (the French heir to the throne), aski...

      Trysts were only one aspect of this powerful female ruler's life. Cleopatra was the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Cleopatra VII, often simply called "Cleopatra," was the last of a series of rulers called the Ptolemies who ruled ancient Egypt for nearly 300 years. Cleopatra ruled an empire that included Egypt, Cyprus, part of modern-day Libya and other territories in the Middle East. Modern-day depictions of Cleopatra VII tend to show her as a woman of great physical beauty and seductive skills — indeed, her romantic involvements with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony have been immortalized in art, music and literature for centuries. However, a number of ancient records, and historical research, tell a different story. These records describe Cleopatra as an intelligent, multilingual, female pharaoh who affirmed her right to rule Egypt and other territories. Her "own beauty, as they say, was not, in and of itself, completely incomparable, nor was it the ...