Maria Sibylla Merian
Maria Sibylla Merian (2 April 164713 January 1717) was a German-born naturalist and scientific illustrator, a descendant of the Frankfurt branch of the Swiss Merian family. Merian was one of the first naturalists to observe insects directly.
Maria Papapetros
Born in Heraklion Crete Greece to parents Chrysa and Vasillios Petropoulos, both of Greek descent and immigrants of Asia Minor. Her father was born in Istanbul in 1895 and her mother in 1912 in Izmir Turkey. Maria’s three older brothers (Nicholas, Johnny, and George) were born within two and a half years, with only a few months between them and were a league of their own. She came along six years later July 20, 1943 in a starving environment. Food was scarce because of the German occupation. She was always protected and cared for by her brothers as a toddler, but too young for them to play with. She always played with her make-believe friends and was a happy child. 
When she was six in June 29, 1949 her baby sister Emerald arrived, and Maria became the middle child over night. She was always a mature child but now she had to grow up really fast. Five children, three of them teenagers practically were too much for her mother. She became her mother’s helper assuming responsibilities being the oldest girl, house chores; cleaning, ironing, sweeping and dusting. She was doing the grocery shopping by her seventh birthday every morning before going to school, as the boys were not to be trusted with cash.