Hypatia

Hypatia
Alexandrian Thinker and Mathematician (370? - 415)
Hypatia was the daughter of Theon, a teacher who was one of the most educated men in Alexandria, Egypt. Hypatia surpassed her father's knowledge at a young age. However, while Hypatia was still under her father's discipline, he also developed for her a physical routine to ensure for her a healthy body as well as a highly functional mind. Theon instructed Hypatia on religion and the fundamentals of teaching and oration.

Hypatia's studies included astronomy, astrology, and mathematics. Hypatia is known primarily for her work on the ideas of conic sections introduced by Apollonius. She edited the work "On the Conics of Apollonius," which divided cones into different parts by a plane. This concept developed the ideas of hyperbolas, parabolas, and ellipses. Hypatia is thought to be the first woman to have a profound impact upon mathematics and thought.

Tragically, in 415 AD, a religious mob attacked her, stripped her and killed her with pieces of broken pottery. Later, the mob dragged her body through the streets.
http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/phil/philo/phils/hypatia.html