We all know that men and women are capable of doing bad things.
However, when you look into the past for criminal activity, you usually end up with a list full of men. But that doesn't mean female outlaws weren't also out there breaking the rules.
From the American Wild West to 1800s England, women were scheming and acting against the laws of the land left and right. There were many jobs that women were restricted from doing, but being a criminal wasn't one of them.
Even organized crime might seem like it's reserved for men, based on the way it is portrayed in film and television, but that simply isn't true to life.
These seven women from various times and places in history were just as deadly and dangerous as their male peers. Trust me, you didn't want to cross paths with any of these women, and you definitely didn't want to be on the receiving end of their "business" dealings.
Did you know about these female criminals? Did our list miss any particularly notorious ones? Let us know in the comments.
And please SHARE these tough lady law-breakers with your family and friends on Facebook!
Thumbnail source: Wikimedia Commons
1. Bonnie Parker
Bonnie Parker was 50 percent of the infamous duo Bonnie and Clyde. During the Great Depression, she, her partner, and his brother and sister-in-law traveled around the Midwest robbing people for a living. While this picture shows her with a pistol and a cigar, there are few to no actual historical accounts of her wielding a weapon.
2. Ma Barker
Arizona Donnie Barker was the mother of four criminal sons. She was known for following them around the country as they committed their crimes. While films and folklore depict her as a vicious crime lord, history suggests she may have played a slightly more passive role in the family business.
3. Virginia Hill
Virginia Hill moved to Chicago to make it in show business. While there, she worked as a waitress and a call girl, and fell into the very lucrative business of being multiple mobsters' mistress. She moved a lot of money into Swiss bank accounts, and she is most famous for being big-time mobster Bugsy Siegel's girlfriend.
4. Lizzie Borden
While Borden was acquitted for the ax murder of both her parents, the evidence leaned strongly against her, and the crime was never solved. Whether or not she was innocent, her name is synonymous with murder.
5. Mary Ann Cotton
Cotton was an English woman convicted of the murder of three of her four husbands, crimes she committed to cash in on their insurance policies. She had an estimated 21 victims total, 11 of which were her children. She used arsenic to poison her victims, and killed her first husband in 1865.
6. Laura Bullion
In the 1890s, Bullion was part of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch gang, working with the likes of the Sundance Kid and Kid Curry, committing robberies across America.
7. Pearl Hart
Hart was born in Canada, but was a notorious outlaw in America's Old West. She committed one of the last stagecoach robberies in recorded history.
Had you ever heard of these lady criminals before? Did we miss anyone particularly notorious? Please SHARE this fascinating piece of history with family and friends on Facebook.
