As accomplished as she is unknown, Marie Marvingt set the world's first women's aviation records, won the only gold medal ever given for being outstanding in all sports, invented the ambulance airplane, was the first female bomber pilot in history, fought in World War I disguised as a man, has been recognized as a hero of the Resistance in World War II, was the first to survive a crossing of the English Channel in a balloon, worked all her life as a journalist, spent years in North Africa, exploring, nursing, accompanying troops, and inventing metal skis. Today she remains the most decorated woman in the world. Unbelievable? Some people think so. Her life was so unusually rich in exploits, daring, and accomplishments that people dismissed it as a hoax. This biography introduces you to the gifted woman said to be ""the most incredible woman since Joan of Arc,"" provides proof that she did indeed do everything ascribed to her, and investigates some of the other reasons she has been forgotten. Known as the ""fiancee of danger,"" she was the model for the silent film series, The Perils of Pauline. This first English-language biography of Marie Marvingt is the story of the real ""Pauline.