Amongst the pioneers and trailblazers, Jeanne Barret has a special spot : she is the first woman to have circumnavigated the globe… but she did it disguised as a man.

The first woman documented to have circumnavigated the globe was Jeanne Baret, a French botanist who accomplished the feat between 1766 and 1769. Because the French Navy strictly prohibited women on its ships at the time, Baret had to disguise herself as a man, calling herself "Jean Baret," to join Admiral Louis-Antoine de Bougainville’s expedition as the assistant to her lover, the naturalist Philibert Commerson. She spent years at sea, collecting thousands of plant specimens across several continents, including the discovery of the Bougainvillea plant. Her true gender was eventually discovered during the voyage (accounts vary on exactly where), but she was allowed to complete the journey, eventually returning to France years later. It wasn't until the late 20th century that her "gold standard" contribution to science and exploration was fully recognized. Another famous name is Nellie Bly, who in 1889 set a record for traveling around the world in 72 days, but Baret remains the historic pioneer who first broke the global boundary, albeit under a dangerous and necessary masculine disguise.