In a recent edition of Eureka, I erred twice in True Facts, a regular feature that, as the name cheekishly suggests, is supposed to be factually accurate. As it turns out, Frederick Sanger won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1958, then shared the prize again in 1980. The latter goof is, in some ways, the more grievous because it reflects a broad and common misperception. Namely, that scientific achievement is primarily the province of males. This is arguably true in terms of honors and public acclaim.
Most histories of science tend to be male-centric.
Check out any dictionary of scientists or consider, for a moment, the case of Rosalind Franklin. Franklin's name, outside of certain circles, is unknown. She was not included in the 1962 Nobel group because of an inane rule that says Nobel recipients must be alive to receive their prize. Franklin died four years earlier from ovarian cancer. She was 37.