The first woman in the world to receive a PhD. degree was Venetian noblewoman Elena Cornaro Piscopia. Besides mastering seven languages – Greek, Latin, Hebrew, French, Spanish, Arabic and her native Italian – Elena studied mathematics, philosophy and theology. She received a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Padua in Italy in Italy on 25 June 1678.
Elena came to be an expert musician, mastering the harpsichord, the clavichord, the harp and the violin. Her skills were shown by the music that she composed in her lifetime. In her late teens and early twenties she became interested in physics, astronomy and linguistics. Carlo Rinaldini, her tutor in philosophy, and at that point the Chairman of Philosophy at the University of Padua, published a book in 1668 written in Latin and centering on geometry. The book was dedicated to a twenty-two year old Elena. After the death of her main tutor, Fabris, she became even closer to Rinaldini, who took over her studies.
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