Vaira Viķe-Freiberga became the first female president of Latvia in 1999, just eight months after returning to the country she left 54 years earlier. A dramatic childhood saw her leave Riga with her family in 1944, aged seven, after the Soviet invasion. After a spell in German refugee camps and some schooling in French Morocco, she and her family moved to Canada when she was 15. Vaira studied psychology and pursued a professional career at the Department of Psychology at the University of Montreal. She won many awards for her distinguished work in humanities and social sciences before returning to her homeland – and becoming president a mere eight months later.

(Photo: Former President of the Republic of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga speaks at the 2015 Concordia Summit at Grand Hyatt New York. Credit: Leigh Vogel/Getty Images) Show less