ANNIE LONDONDERRY

Annie Londonderry (1870-1947) was the first woman to travel around the world. She was born in Riga, but she moved to the United States when she was just a child. Altough she grew in a Jewish and very religious family she was a very free-thinking young woman. She got married at the age of 18 and had three children.

In 1894 she was challenged to bicycle around the world in 15 months earning $5,000. So she grabbed her 19 kg bicycle and started cycling.

After the trip, she moved to New York where she wrote stories featuring 'New York World'. She always said: "I am a journalist and a new woman, if that term means that I believe I can do anything that any man can do"