Next, in Challenging Historical Stereotypes: Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Born in 1745, to a plantation owner and an African woman, he moved to France as a boy, and became, among other things: a celebrated violinist, a champion fencer and a well-known composer.

During the French Revolution, he served as a colonel of the Légion St.-Georges, the first all-black regiment in Europe, fighting on the side of the Republic. Today he is best remembered as the first known classical composer of African ancestry.

Oh, and if you think that's cool, here he is fencing with the renowned swordswoman, La Chevalière D'Éon, here aged 59, who was by all accounts, a proper badass.

Here's her story. Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-André-Timothée d'Éon de Beaumont (1728 - 1810), usually known as the Chevalier d'Éon, was born in Burgundy. Starting as a French soldier, d'Eon became part of Louis XV's network of spies, and was sent out to Russia and England.

D'Eon often wore women's clothes during missions, and spread rumours about having been born female. After an argument with the French ambassador, d'Eon refused to go back to France and even threatened to release sensitive information to the British court.

Eventually Louis XV exiled d'Eon with a generous pension, as long as d'Eon handed over any documents incriminating the French government, and demanding d'Eon officially declared a gender. She choose to be known as a woman, and dressed accordingly for the rest of her life.

Not being able to rejoin the army as a woman, she enjoyed a celebrity status in England and throughout Europe and earned a fortune by fencing competitively. So, yes. She rocked.