Eunice Foote

 Eunice Foote made a groundbreaking discovery in 1856, revealing that carbon dioxide traps heat and influences climate, decades before the greenhouse effect was widely recognized.

An amateur scientist, she conducted experiments showing CO2’s significant warming impact, even hypothesizing that higher levels warmed Earth’s past.

Yet, her work was sidelined due to her gender.

At the 1856 American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, a male colleague presented her findings, and her name was omitted from the record.

Despite preceding John Tyndall’s similar research by three years, she received no credit, overshadowed by the male-dominated science world of the 19th century.

Though Scientific American noted her talent, her contributions were largely forgotten until recent efforts by scholars to restore her legacy, highlighting her pivotal role in climate science and the barriers she faced.