Google Doodle: Meet Iconic Stuntwoman Kitty O'Neil Who Was Once Crowned 'World's Fastest Woman'

New Delhi: Google is celebrating the 77th birthday of legendary American stunt performer, daredevil, and rocket-powered vehicle driver Kitty O’Neil today, March 24, 2023. O'Neil who was deaf since childhood is known for her experiments with high-speed sports like water skiing and motorcycle racing.

Once crowned the "fastest woman in the world," Kitty O'Neil was born in 1946 to a Cherokee Native American mother and Irish father in Corpus Christi, Texas. When Kitty was just a few months old, she contracted multiple diseases which led to an intense fever that ultimately left her deaf.  

But Kitty never let the deafness overpower her will to have a normal life and she learned various communication modes and adapted for different audiences throughout her life, ultimately preferring speaking and lip reading mostly. 

Kitty loved performing dangerous stunts like jumping from helicopters and in the ate 70s, she made it onto the big screen as a stunt double for films and TV series including The Bionic Woman (1976), Wonder Woman (1977-1979), and The Blues Brothers (1980). 

O'Neil was crowned  “the fastest woman alive” after she zoomed across the Alvord Desert on a rocket-powered car called the Motivator at 512.76 miles per hour speed. After achieving this feat, it was evident that Kitty could likely beat the men’s mark too, however, she was never given that opportunity even after a legal battle.

In 1979, the biopic 'Silent Victory: The Kitty O’Neil Story' was released that recaps the impressive Alvord Desert feat of the lady that was once the 'world's fastest woman'.