You don’t know this woman, but if you celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks, and Thanksgiving with turkey and pie, then strap in because you've got some learning to catch up on.

Who we have here is Dolley Madison, wife of James Madison, the 4th President of the United States. But let's forget about her husband for a moment because I know you already know everything about the man, including the fact that he helped ratify the constitution and also the fact that he was about 5 feet 4 inches tall. No, we are here to talk about Dolley who was a badass in her own right. Over the course of her life she went from a simple country girl to one of the greatest first ladies to have ever lived in the White House.

What's fascinating is that she was acting as first lady even before she got the title. Thomas Jefferson’s wife died while he was in office, and so he turned to Madison’s wife to help him run social gatherings. However she didn’t just throw parties, she also dramatically increased the fame of both the 3rd president and her husband abroad, and also raised money to fund the expedition of Lewis, Clark, and Sacagawea.

During her husband’s own campaign for president, she became a force to be reckoned with. She was a famous schmoozer, hosting what would come to be internationally famous dinner parties that were attended by not only her husband’s allies, but his enemies as well. She was one of the first politicians in American history to “reach across the aisle.” In fact, she became such a political entity that James Madison’s opponent for the presidency, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, said that “it was not fair that he had to run against both Madisons.”

As first lady her political power only grew. She pioneered the idea that the wife of the president was a political position in its own right. She helped give legitimacy to the American political institution by entertaining the European elite, she hosted the first ever Inaugural Ball, and, in a way, she became the first ever Republican Whip, insuring that the rest of the country’s leaders fell in line behind her husband.

Unfortunately, all she is well-known for is saving Gilbert Stuart’s famous Lansdowne Portrait of George Washington. During the war of 1812, when the British lead a successful attack on the capital, Dolly like the bad b!%@& she was, delayed her evacuation in order to collect the portrait along with many other important documents. Today, both her portrait and George Washington’s hang in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, as treasures of the country.