-Wonder Woman

Created in 1941 by psychologist William Moulton Marston, who helped develop the science behind the polygraph lie detector, Wonder Woman represented an idealized version of a strong and independent woman. Wonder Woman was part of the Amazon nation of women, tying her to the long Hellenic tradition of woman warriors dating back to Homer’s Iliad. Wonder Woman and her fellow Amazons live on the hidden island of Themiscyra, which is depicted as an advanced feminist utopia. Themiscyra was a real historical settlement, supposed to exist on the banks of the Black Sea in modern day Turkey, which Herodotus mentioned as the capital of the Amazonians. Wonder Woman’s character embodied many of Marston’s personal psychological beliefs, including his interest in detecting lies and research into submission and domination. Most of Marston’s personal papers are now at Harvard’s Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, which were used by historian Jill Lepore in her book The Secret History of Wonder Woman.