The first professional female astronomer was only four feet tall
Despite being only four feet tall and facing childhood illness, Caroline Herschel overcame 18th-century social barriers to become the first professional female astronomer in history.
Born in 1750, Caroline Herschel survived typhus that stunted her growth to just over four feet tall. While her family expected her to be a servant, she instead became a pioneering astronomer, discovering eight comets and cataloging 2,500 nebulae.
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