"Greatest" is such a vague word, haha, I don’t think it’s possible to say that there was one single greatest historical moment or that one female figure in history towers over all others. So! I’m going to interpret this as "most interesting to personally read about/study".
- moment: probably the Trinity test/the detonation of the H-bomb, whatever marks the beginning of the Atomic Age. The reason that famous Oppenheimer quote is so widespread and so widely quoted and intrinsically linked to that age is because (imo) it encapsulated a pure feeling that is so difficult to capture in words, the way the bomb changed everything, not only thru its practical applications - the amount of pure destruction humans could now unleash, and the velocity at which they could do so, but also the psychological effect it had on peoples’ consciousness(es?). Like if you ever read those accounts of people viewing atomic bomb detonations firsthand they always react with both awe and terror, terror at the destruction and awe at…. also the destruction, but the beauty of it. Whatever way they react, even if it’s contradictory, it’s impossible to not have an incredible visceral reaction to the thing. On the other hand you also had that optimism inspired by that prospect of a future fueled by atomic power… The ramifications were enormous either way, though obviously there were so many other things besides the bomb that factored into the development of Cold War culture in the U.S (which is so interesting). But I think it’s just stuff like this that reminds you that history and people and human nature are the exact opposite of separate realms. Wow this was seriously such a bad answer, I’m sorry.
- female figure: I think Leni Riefenstahl is really, really, really interesting because she was this influential technical innovator, a woman working in a field dominated by men (overwhelmingly, even today), and a Nazi propagandist? Her work is interesting, her attitude toward her own work and the impact of her work is interesting, she’s interesting. Re: women in history that I actually admire, I really dig the modern woman scientists, especially Lise Meitner. When I was a kid, I thought Margaret Mead was really cool, too. And, um… Ching Shih, and all of those Badass of the Week types.