Vera Yevstafievna Popova

Vera Yevstafievna Popova, born on September 17, 1867, was a pioneering Russian chemist who made significant contributions to the field of chemistry during a time when women were largely underrepresented in the sciences.

As one of the first female chemists in Russia, she broke barriers and became the first Russian woman to author a chemistry textbook, paving the way for future generations of female scientists.

Tragically, her promising career was cut short when she died on May 8, 1896, due to an explosion in her laboratory, marking her as possibly the first woman to sacrifice her life in the pursuit of chemistry.