5 French women to celebrate during Women's History Month

Olympe de Gouges was a French playwright and political activist. Her writings on women's rights and abolitionism reached a large audience in various countries. She was a an ardent advocate of may human rights, especially the equality of women, at a time when those beliefs were considered radical. In 1791, she wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Citizen, declaring that men and women are equal and should have the same rights.

Édith Piaf was a singer-songwriter, cabaret performer and film actress. She was France's national chanteuse and one of the country's more widely known international stars. Her songs and singing style reflected the tragedies of her own difficult life. Her mother abandoned her at birth and she was taken in by her grandmother, who raised her in a brothel. She went on to have an illustrious career and is forever known as one of the greats.