Jan Todd wasn’t your typical academic. Known as the “World’s Strongest Woman,” she didn’t just break weightlifting records—she revolutionized how women view strength training. Todd famously lifted Scotland’s legendary Dinnie Stones (733 pounds combined!) in 1979, becoming the first woman to do so, and no other woman matched that feat until 2018.
She set over 60 world records, but her greatest feats weren’t just physical: she turned her passion into a scholarship. She set up the world’s biggest academic archive on strength at the University of Texas, changing societal norms about women, strength, and muscle. And yes, even today at 73, she can still bend bottle caps with her bare hands—just because she can.
