Eleanor Frances Jourdain was an English academic and administrator who served as the Principal of St Hugh's College, Oxford, from 1915 until her death in 1924. Born in 1863, Jourdain dedicated much of her professional life to higher education, guiding the college through a significant period of growth. Her academic career ended in controversy, and she died of a sudden heart attack shortly after being forced to resign her leadership post.\n\nBeyond her academic administrative work, Jourdain achieved widespread and lasting fame for an extraordinary paranormal claim. In 1901, while visiting the Palace of Versailles with her fellow teacher Charlotte Anne Moberly, the two women claimed to have inadvertently slipped back in time to the period of the French Revolution. This event became widely known as the Moberly–Jourdain incident.\n\nDuring this alleged time-slip, Jourdain and Moberly reported experiencing a strange atmosphere and encountering historical figures from the late eighteenth century. Despite the skepticism and controversy that surrounded their claims, the incident became a famous cultural touchstone, defining Jourdain's public legacy alongside her contributions to Oxford academia.