
History is peppered with admirable figures. Some are famous for their outstanding achievements, others for their exceptional characteristics or behaviors. One thing is for sure: our collective memory has a list of the people whose actions have shaped society into what it is today. Yet, countless others with equal or sometimes more significant contributions to humanity remain uncounted. We think it’s about time to fill you in on a few lesser-known characters whose stories are worth knowing.
#1: Ignaz Semmelweis
Like me, you’ve probably never heard the name Ignaz Semmelweis before stumbling upon it here. Aside from having a really good name, he’s also considered to be one of the pioneers of the entire field of antiseptics. It must have been a strange time before doctors started washing their hands.

How much stranger that it took years after Semmelweiss’ death for his theories to be confirmed and approved by the medical establishment. What a sad punishment for trying to improve the world is being admitted into an institution by colleagues whose lives and livelihoods you are trying to protect.