10 Armenian women who changed the course of history

Ten world-famous Armenian women are referred to  by  Dalma News website initiated by young journalists in the South Caucasus. The author of the article, Hayk Samsonyan, included dozens of scholars, heroes, historic figures, public and political figures. Among them are Diana Abgar and Zapel Yesayan, St. Shushan-Varden and Mumtaz Mahal, Gohar Vardanyan and Alenush Terian … They all have Armenian roots, though they lived and worked in different parts of the world…

Alenoush Teryan (1920-2011)

Alenoush Teryan was born in Tehran, Iran. Her father was one of the Armenians in New Jugha, and though he was a writer, he served as the director of Sefah Bank in Iran over the past 20 years of his life. The young Alenoush is deeply interested in astronomy and becomes one of the founders of the Solar Expedition at the Institute of Geophysics at Tehran University. She was rightly called in Tehran “the mother of Iranian astronomy”. She was Iran’s first female professor, the first woman astronomer and astrophysicist. Her students and contemporaries today remember Alenoush Teryan as a caring teacher who enjoyed the love and respect of all the students. It is noteworthy that Alenoush Teryan has given her house to the Armenian community in New Jugha to accommodate students without accommodation. And she died in a nursing home.

Anna Ter-Vardanyan (1920-2011)

The world history proves that in some military operations women cannot be men’s competitors. But, come and see that there are also exceptions. Anna Ter-Vardanyan was the first female head of the US Naval Forces. She received this title in 1959 at the Navy College of Rhode Island and became the first woman serving in the armed forces, who was awarded the E-9 title. By the way, Ter-Vardanyans were involved in a military operation with their family. Shortly after WWII began, Anna voluntarily assembled, her sister, Gin Oliver, serving in the US Navy, her brother, Andrew, in the Pacific Ocean part of the US Armed Forces. Moreover, her mother also wanted to join the navy, but staying at home served in the Red Cross.

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