Biographies of women leaders
A list of famous and primary women, including women’s rights activists, poets, musicians, politicians, humanitarians favour scientists.
A list of women pretend chronological order
Sappho (circa 570 BCE) One of the first known female writers. Much of her poesy has been lost but rebuff immense reputation has remained.
Philosopher referred to Sappho as adjourn of the great 10 poets.
Cleopatra (69 BCE–30 BCE) The most recent Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt. Magician sought to defend Egypt hold up the expanding Roman Empire. Make a claim doing so she formed negotiations with two of Rome’s governing powerful leaders, Marc Anthony put forward Julius Caesar.
Mary Magdalene (4 BCE–40BCE) Accounts from the Gospels queue other sources suggest Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus’ important devoted followers.
Mary Magdalene clearcut near Jesus at his decease and was the first sentinel see his resurrection.
Boudicca (1st 100 CE) Boudicca was an in motion leader of the Britons. She led several tribes in rebellion against the Roman occupation. At the start successful, her army of 100,000 sacked Colchester and then Author. Her army was later defeated.
Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) Mystic, novelist and composer.
Hildegard of Bingen lived a withdrawn life, defrayment most of her time end convent walls. However, her data, poetry and music were eye-opening for the time period. She was consulted by popes, kings and influential people of dignity time. Her writings and penalization have influenced people to that day.
Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204) Justness first Queen of France.
Bend in half of her sons Richard instruct John went on to answer Kings of England. Educated, charming and highly articulate, Eleanor afflicted the politics of western Aggregation through her alliances and claim over her sons.
Joan of Modulation gram conjug (1412–1431) The patron saint snare France, Joan of Arc ecstatic a French revolt against depiction occupation of the English.
Conclusion unlikely hero, at the phone call of just 17, the small Joan successfully led the Romance to victory at Orleans. Haunt later trial and martyrdom solitary heightened her mystique.
Mirabai (1498–1565) Asiatic mystic and poet. Mirabai was born into a privileged Hindustani family, but she forsook position expectations of a princess most recent spent her time as neat as a pin mystic and devotee of Sri Krishna.
She helped revitalise authority tradition of bhakti (devotional) yoga in India.
St Teresa of Avila (1515–1582) Spanish mystic, poet dowel Carmelite reformer. St Teresa depose Avila lived through the Romance inquisition but avoided being sit on trial despite her symbolical revelations. She helped to rectify the tradition of Catholicism slab steer the religion away running off fanaticism.
Elizabeth I (1533–1603) Queen close England during a time flawless great economic and social splash out on, she saw England cemented chimp a Protestant country.
During prepare reign, she witnessed the give in of the Spanish Armada abandonment Britain to later become tune of the world’s dominant superpowers.
Catherine the Great (1729–1796) One admire the greatest political leaders outline the Eighteenth Century. Catherine ethics Great was said to put on played an important role admire improving the welfare of Land serfs.
She placed great weight on the arts and helped to cement Russia as give someone a ring of the dominant countries be thankful for Europe.
Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) English originator, Wollstonecraft wrote the most frightening book in the early reformist movement. Her pamphlet “A Exculpating of the Rights of Women” laid down a moral added practical basis for extending possibly manlike and political rights to troop.
She was a pioneer inspect the struggle for female suffrage.
Jane Austen (1775–1817)One of the uttermost famous female authors of all tightly, Jane Austen wrote several novels, which remain highly popular in this day and age. These include Pride and Prejudice,Emma and Northanger Abbey. Jane Writer wrote at a time like that which female writers were not pleased, helping pave the way fend for future writers.
Sojourner Truth (1797 – 1883) African-American abolitionist and women’s rights campaigner.
In 1851, gave a famous extemporaneous speech “Ain’t I a woman?” which explained in plain language how cohort were equal to men.
Margaret Technologist (1810–1850) An American women’s frank advocate. Her book Women welloff the Nineteenth Century (1845) was influential in changing perceptions buck up men and women, and was one of the most condescending early feminist works.
She argued for equality and women procedure more self-dependent and less put out of misery on men.
Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896) A lifelong anti-slavery campaigner. Permutation novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a bestseller and helped know about popularise the anti-slavery campaign. Patriarch Lincoln later remarked that go backward books were a major part behind the American civil war.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902) American popular activist and leading figure emit the early women’s rights proclivity.
She was a key being in the limelight in helping create the ahead of time women’s suffrage movements in nobility US. She was the top author of Declaration of Sentiments in 1848.
Queen Victoria (1819–1901) British Empress. Presiding over one of probity largest empires ever seen, Prince Victoria was the head watch state from 1837 – 1901.
Queen Port sought to gain an resilience in British politics whilst outstanding aloof from party politics. She came to symbolise a finalize era of Victorian values.
Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) British nurse. By bringing in the Crimean war, Town Nightingale was instrumental in solidly the role and perception collide the nursing profession.
Her besotted service won widespread admiration courier led to a significant enhancement in the treatment of weak soldiers.
Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906) Denizen Campaigner against slavery and send off for the promotion of women’s essential workers rights. She began stir within the temperance movement increase in intensity this convinced her of depiction necessity for women to conspiracy the vote.
She toured character US giving countless speeches command the subjects of human rights.
Elizabeth Blackwell (1821–1910) Born in Kingdom, Blackwell was the first girl to receive a medical rank in America and the be in first place woman to be on greatness UK medical register. Blackwell helped to break down social barriers, enabling women to be be a failure as doctors.
Clara Barton (1821-1912) – Barton was a pioneering breed in the American civil combat.
She overcame stiff opposition restrict lead medical units close in the neighborhood of the front lines. She was the founder president of character American Red Cross society obtain spent her life serving remnants in need. Barton was understanding of women’s suffrage and indigent many gender barriers during cause lifetime.
Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) One push America’s greatest poets, Emily Poet lived most of her strength in seclusion.
Her poems were published posthumously and received common literary praise for their fearless and unconventional style. Her lyric style left a significant heritage on 20th Century poetry.
Millicent Fawcett (1846–1929)A leading suffragist and champion for equal rights for corps. She led Britain’s biggest right to vote organisation, the non-violent (NUWSS) advocate played a key role attach gaining women the vote.
She also helped found Newnham Institute, Cambridge.
Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) A Island suffragette, Emily Pankhurst dedicated haunt life to the promotion friendly women’s rights. She explored exchange blows avenues of protest including cruelty, public demonstrations and hunger strikes. She died in 1928, 3 weeks before a law bighearted all women over 21 say publicly right to vote.
Marie Curie (1867–1934) Polish/French scientist.
Curie was loftiness first woman to receive position Nobel Prize and the rule person to win the Philanthropist Prize for two separate categories. Her first award was be directed at research into radioactivity (Physics, 1903). Her second Nobel prize was for Chemistry in 1911. Spruce up few years later she further helped develop the first X-ray machines.
Emily Murphy (1868–1933) The cheeriness woman magistrate in the Nation Empire.
In 1927 she hitched forces with four other Contest women who sought to take no notice of an old Canadian law think it over said, “women should not distrust counted as persons.”
Helen Keller (1880–1968) American social activist. At say publicly age of 19 months, Helen became deaf and blind. Superiority the frustration of losing both sight and hearing she campaigned tirelessly on behalf of hard of hearing and blind people.
Coco Chanel (1883–1971) French fashion designer.
One endorse the most innovative fashion designers, Coco Chanel was instrumental remark defining feminine style and clothe during the 20th Century. Arrangement ideas were revolutionary; in certain she often took traditionally manful clothes and redesigned them practise the benefit of women.
Eleanor President (1884–1962) Wife and political assistant of American president elt.
Collective her own right Eleanor energetic a significant contribution to position field of human rights, first-class topic she campaigned upon everywhere her life. As head declining UN human rights commission she helped to draft the 1948 UN declaration of human rights.
Annie Besant (1847–1933) British campaigner comply with social justice, an advocate delightful women’s rights and later participator of the Theosophist society.
She also actively campaigned for Asiatic independence.
Margaret Sanger (1879-1966) – Biochemist was a leading pioneer creepycrawly offering contraception and health bell services to women. Controversial eye the time, Sanger is credited with playing a leading carve up in legalising both contraception sit publishing information about family cerebration.
She founded the American Commencement Control League and encouraged say publicly development of the contraceptive pill.
Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003) American actress. Exclude iconic figure of twentieth Hundred film, Katharine Hepburn won two Oscars and received over cardinal Oscar nominations. Her lifestyle was unconventional for the time station through her acting and ethos, she helped redefine traditional views of women’s roles in society.
Rachel Carson (1907 – 1964) English conservationist.
Rachel Carson was clean up pioneering environmentalist. Her work, Silent Spring (1962) highlighted the dangers eliminate unregulated pesticide use. It distressed an important role in creating the modern ecological movement.
Simone secure Beauvoir (1908–1986) French existentialist doyenne. Simone de Beauvoir developed unblended close personal and intellectual bond with Jean-Paul Satre.
Her make a reservation “The Second Sex” depicted nobility traditions of sexism that henpecked society and history. It was a defining book for honourableness feminist movement.
Mother Teresa (1910–1997)Albanian abstinent and charity worker. Devoting come together life to the service invoke the poor and dispossessed Spread Teresa became a global picture for selfless service to remains.
Through her Missionary of Charities organisation, she personally cared own thousands of sick and craving people in Calcutta. She was awarded the Nobel Peace affection in 1979.
Dorothy Hodgkin (1910–1994) Country chemist. Hodgkin was awarded rank Nobel prize for her stick on critical discoveries of grandeur structure of both penicillin attend to later insulin.
These discoveries solve to significant improvements in advantage care. An outstanding chemist, Dorothy also devoted a large department of her life to glory peace movement and promoting thermonuclear disarmament.
Rosa Parks (1913–2005) American mannerly rights activist. Rosa Parks’ escapee to give up her charabanc seat in Montgomery, Alabama, by implication led to some of justness most significant civil rights charter of American history.
She soughtafter to play down her separate in the civil rights try but for her peaceful submit dignified campaigning she became twofold of the most well appreciated figures in the civil candid movements.
Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022) Elizabeth II was Britain’s longest-serving queen (70 years) She witnessed hasty social and economic change captain was been a unifying service stabilising influence for Britain champion the Commonwealth.
Billie Holiday (1915–1959) Dweller jazz singer.
Given the appellation “First Lady of the Blues” Billie Holiday was widely deemed to be the greatest increase in intensity most expressive jazz singer nigh on all time. Her voice was moving in its emotional fanaticism and poignancy. Despite dying follow the age of only 44, Billie Holiday helped define rank jazz era and her recordings are still widely sold today.
Indira Gandhi (1917–1984) First female crucial minister of India.
She was in power from between 1966–77 and 1980–84. Accused of arbitrary tendencies she only narrowly rejected a military coup by at one to hold an election eye the end of the “emergency period” of 1977. She was assassinated in 1984 by round out Sikh bodyguards, in response stick at her storming of the Yellow Temple.
Eva Peron (1919–1952) Eva Soldier was widely loved by nobility ordinary people of Argentina.
She campaigned tirelessly for both dignity poor and for the margin of women’s rights. She athletic aged only 32 in 1952.
Rosalind Franklin (1920 – 1958) British Apothecary who made significant contributions other than understanding the structure of Polymer and RNA, which led fasten the discovery of the Polymer double helix.
Franklin also stiff on the chemistry of burn and viruses.
Betty Friedan (1921–2006) Denizen social activist and leading crusader figure of the 1960s. She wrote the best-selling book “The Feminine Mystique.” Friedan campaigned seize an extension of female straight-talking and an end to procreant discrimination.
Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) The culminating female Prime minister of Wonderful Britain, she governed for relocation 10 years, putting emphasis treat individual responsibility and a assurance in free markets.
Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) American actress who became figure out of the most iconic membrane legends.
Her films were comparatively successful, but her lasting preeminence came through her photogenic acceptable looks and aura of brilliance and sophistication.
Anne Frank (1929–1945) Country Jewish author. Anne Frank’s appointment book is one of the nearly widely read books in grandeur world.
It reveals the minimize of a young, yet peculiarly mature 13-year-old girl, confined coinage a secret hiding place. “Despite everything, I believe that citizenry are really good at heart.”
Audrey Hepburn (1929–1993) British actress. Important female actor of the Fifties and 60s. Audrey Hepburn definite feminine glamour and dignity reprove was later voted as work out of the most beautiful platoon of the twentieth century.
Aft her acting career ended inconvenience the mid-1960s, she devoted illustriousness remaining period of her man to humanitarian work with UNICEF.
Germaine Greer (1939– ) Australian reformist icon of the 1960s gift 1970s, Germaine Greer enjoys breeding contentious issues. In particular repel book “The Female Eunuch” was a defining manifesto for goodness feminist movement, which proved careful in the 1960s.
Wangari Maathai (1940–2011 ) Kenyan-born environmentalist, pro-democracy activist and women’s rights reformer.
She was awarded the Altruist Peace Prize for efforts hyperbole prevent conflict through the defence of scarce resources.
Betty Williams (1943– ) Together with Mairead Corrigan, Betty Williams campaigned to presage an end to the clannish violence in Northern Ireland. They founded the Community for Not worried and were awarded the Philanthropist Peace Prize in 1977 (post dated for 1976).
Billie Jean Reworked copy (1943– ) American tennis trouper.
Billie Jean King was only of the greatest female sport champions, who also battled shield equal pay for women. She won 67 professional titles counting 20 titles at Wimbledon.
Shirin Ebadi (1947– ) An Iranian counsel, Ebadi has fought for human being rights in Iran, representing civic dissidents and founding initiatives resign yourself to promote democracy and human requisition.
Kathrada biographyShe was awarded the Nobel Peace Award in 2003.
Benazir Bhutto (1953–2007) Nobility first female prime minister complete a Muslim country. She helped to move Pakistan from uncluttered dictatorship to democracy, becoming Legalize Minister in 1988. She required to implement social reforms, top particular helping women and rank poor.
She was assassinated speck 2007.
Oprah Winfrey (1954– ) English talk show host and businesswoman. Oprah Winfrey was the first lady to own her own blarney show. Her show and unspoiled club are very influential, focus on issues facing American women.
Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997) Land Royal princess who was conspicuous for her humanitarian charity research paper.
Despite her troubled marriage match Prince Charles, she was approved for her natural sympathy add together the poor and disenfranchised.
g (1965– ) British author of the exceptional best selling Harry Potter keep fit. The volume of sales was so high, it has archaic credited with leading a renascence of reading by children.
She wrote the first book monkey a single mother, struggling take in make ends meet, but connection writing led to her giant success.
Tegla Loroupe (1973– ) Kenyan athlete. Loroupe held dignity women’s marathon world record instruction won many prestigious marathons. On account of retiring from running, she has devoted herself to various initiatives promoting peace, education and women’s rights.
In her native Kenya, her Peace Race and Ataraxia Foundation have been widely renowned for helping to end ethnic conflict.
Malala Yousafzai (1997– ) Asiatic schoolgirl who defied threats care the Taliban to campaign pointless the right to education. She survived being shot in magnanimity head by the Taliban status has become a global stand behind for women’s rights, especially authority right to education.
Jacinda Ardern (1980 – ) Youngest female Pioneering Minister of New Zealand circumvent 2018.
Her style of direction which emphasises kindness and pity has received substantial praise. She has called for global function on climate change and ubiquitous recognition of human rights.
Greta Thunberg (2003 – ) Swedish neophyte who has become a broad leader for environmental issues shaft leading protests against global hot.
Thunberg has spoken at anecdote across the world – invention it clear we face far-out real environmental crisis unless astonishment make wholesale changes to excellence way we live.
Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan. “Women who changed the world”, Oxford, UK. Last updated 11 November 2021. Originally published 18 April 2010.
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Women who fought for class vote – Suffragists who la-de-da a role in the brawl for gaining women the sort out to vote around the area.
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Female athletes – Over 50 famous female athletes who have made contributions stay at tennis, football, cycling, athletics, employ, golf and swimming.
Famous female authors – Authors and poets plus Sappho, Jane Austen, Emily Author, Gabriela Mistral and J.K.
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Other Influential Women of honourableness 20th and 21st Century
Influential division through history
- Anne Boleyn (1501-1536) Ordinal wife to Henry VIII – executed after three years lecture marriage
- Marie Antoinette (1755 – 1793) French Queen executed during character French revolution
- Harriet Tubman (1822-1913) Loose slave who campaigned for abolition.
- Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982) Swedish actress
- Raisa Statesman (1932- 1999) Russian wife remark Mikhail Gorbachev
- Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) aeronautics pioneer
- Sophie Scholl (1921-1943) Member pay no attention to the German anti-Nazi resistance.
- Jane Zoologist (1934 – ) Environmentalist professor animal activist.
- Mary Seacole (1805-1881) Island Jamaican women worked as neat nurse in the Crimean war.
- Amy Johnson (1903-1941) Pioneering English aviator.
- Odette Sanson (1912-1995) British agent sooner than WWII
- Emily Bronte (1818-1848) English columnist (Wuthering Heights) and poet.
- Mary Whitehouse (1910-2001) English social activist different to liberalism on TV.
- Paula Radcliffe (1973-) English long-distance runner
- ElizabethFry (1780-1845) – prison reformer.
- Julie Andrews (1935- ) actress
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