Baroness Orczy

Hungarian-British, 1865–1947

Baroness Emmuska Orczy (1865–1947) was a Hungarian-born British novelist and playwright. She is best known for creating The Scarlet Pimpernel, an English aristocrat who leads a double life rescuing victims of the French Revolution. The character is widely considered the precursor to modern superheroes, establishing the secret-identity trope that influenced Zorro, Batman, and many others.