|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Throughout history, pioneering women have made significant contributions in activism, sports, arts, and science, breaking barriers and leaving a lasting impact worldwide with their determination, courage, and innovation.
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou, known for her impactful poetry and autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, revolutionized literature, paving the way for Black writers before her death in 2014 at the age of 86.
Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball, celebrated for her vibrant presence on I Love Lucy, also made significant history by becoming the first female owner of a major studio, Desilu Productions.
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II served as the head of the royal family for 70 years, making her the longest-reigning monarch in British history. She celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 and passed away three months later at the age of 96.
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks gained prominence in the 1950s Civil Rights Movement by bravely refusing to yield her bus seat to a white passenger, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott and contributing significantly to the end of segregation. Her activism persisted throughout her later years until her passing at 92 in 2005.
Halle Berry
Apart from her acting prowess and influence in fashion, Halle Berry made a significant impact on Hollywood. In 2002, she became the first Black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar for her role in “Monster’s Ball.” In 2023, she presented the same award to Michelle Yeoh, the second woman of color ever to receive this honor.
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart, the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, reshaped aviation history. Her vanishing in 1937 while flying over the Pacific Ocean has prompted various theories, including suggestions of a fatal crash or her potential survival on a remote island.
Michelle Kwan
Kwan excelled in figure skating during the 1990s, becoming the most awarded American skater. She proudly represented both the United States and Asian Americans, winning 43 championships and two Olympic medals, leaving a significant mark on both the sport and cultural representation.
Malala Yousafzai
Yousafzai started advocating for girls’ education in Pakistan at the age of 11. Following the survival of an assassination attempt, she bravely continued as a global advocate, becoming the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2014.
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno showcased her talents in singing, dancing, and acting in iconic films like Singin’ in the Rain and West Side Story. In 1962, she became the first Latina to win an Academy Award, and fifteen years later, she achieved EGOT status.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the initial Jewish woman appointed to the Supreme Court, advocated for gender equality and civil rights, impacting significant legal decisions until her passing in 2020 at the age of 87.
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin, celebrated for her divine singing and 18 Grammy wins, made hits like “Respect.” In 1987, she became the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Franklin passed away at 76 in 2018.
Vera Wang
Vera Wang, a fashion designer of Chinese-American descent, gained renown for her bridal collections following roles at Vogue and Ralph Lauren, earning the CFDA’s Womenswear Designer of the Year award in 2005.
Marie Cutie
Marie Curie, a scientific pioneer in radioactivity and X-rays, achieved the distinction of being the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in 1903 and the first person to win two Nobel Prizes in 1911. She died at the age of 66 in 1934.
Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor, a legendary actress from Old Hollywood, mesmerized audiences with her roles in movies such as Cleopatra (1963) and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). Beyond her cinematic achievements, she became an early advocate for AIDS awareness, establishing the Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation in 1991. Taylor passed away in 2011 at the age of 79.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams, together with her sister Venus, was a dominant figure in tennis, winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals. She retired in September 2022, leaving a profound impact on female athletes worldwide.
Jane Austen
Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice,” published in 1813, significantly influenced English literature with its social commentary. Interestingly, she wasn’t acknowledged as the author of her first three novels until after her death in 1817 at the age of 41.
Sally Ride
In 1983, Sally Ride achieved the historic milestone of becoming the first American woman to journey into space. Prior to this achievement, she was chosen from a pool of 1,000 applicants to join NASA’s astronaut program. Ride passed away in 2012 at the age of 61.
Oprah Winfrey
From 1986 until 2011, Oprah Winfrey hosted a highly acclaimed talk show that propelled her to become an Emmy-winning media sensation. Alongside her successful magazine and TV network, she has also made significant contributions as a philanthropist and political activist.
Rachel Balkovec
In 2022, Balkovec achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first woman to manage a Minor League Baseball team affiliated with Major League Baseball. She transitioned from her role as the minor league hitting coach to lead the New York Yankees’ Low-A Tampa Tarpons.
Princess Diana
Princess Diana, known for her independence, bold fashion choices, and close relationship with her sons, was a cherished member of the royal family. She publicly supported mental health and HIV awareness and continued her charitable work after separating from Prince Charles in 1992. Tragically, she passed away in a car accident in 1997 at the age of 36.
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton has achieved 10 Grammy victories and received 53 nominations, leaving a lasting mark on country music. Beyond her musical success, she contributes significantly offstage, supporting causes like children’s literacy and donating $1 million for COVID-19 research, benefiting numerous individuals.
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn’s exceptional talent on camera was complemented by her pioneering adoption of menswear, encouraging women to embrace both comfort and style. She passed away at the age of 96 in 2003.
Lizzo
Lizzo has emerged as a prominent figure in music, celebrated for her empowering tracks promoting self-acceptance and body positivity. Additionally, she showcases her talent as a trained flutist with captivating solos during performances.
Chloé Zhao
Zhao, a filmmaker from China, earned numerous accolades for directing indie films such as Nomadland (2020). In 2021, she became the second woman and first woman of color to win the Oscar for Best Director.
Ibtihaj Muhammad
In 2016, fencer Muhammad made history as the first U.S. Olympian to wear a hijab, won a bronze medal, and was named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People list.
Barbara Walters
Walters, a highly respected journalist and anchor of 20/20, The View, and Today, broke barriers as the first female co-anchor of network evening news. She passed away in December at age 93.
Sarah Thomas
Thomas made history as the NFL’s first full-time female official in 2015 and continued breaking barriers by officiating a playoff game in 2019 and the Super Bowl in 2021.
Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong, the first Asian American movie star in Hollywood, courageously confronted racism, acted in over 50 films, and posthumously earned a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 1960.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Kennedy, the former first lady, revitalized the White House, curated presidential artifacts, and spoke multiple languages, enhancing her diplomatic connections. She died in 1994 at the age of 64.
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand, known for her Grammy-winning singing and acting career, paved the way for Jewish actresses in Hollywood through standout roles in “Yentl” and “Funny Girl.” She also made history in 1984 as the first woman to win Best Director at the Golden Globes.
Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman, at 22, stirred national unity and emotion with her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Biden’s 2021 inauguration, having earlier been named the inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate.
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa, celebrated for her humanitarian work, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016, almost 20 years after her death at age 87.
Junko Tabei
Junko Tabei, who in 1975 became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, later completed the Seven Summits and survived an avalanche. She died in 2016 at the age of 77.
Taylor Swift
Swift broke numerous records, including Spotify’s most-streamed album in a day with “Midnights,” amassed 46 Grammy nominations and 12 wins, and reclaimed ownership of her music by announcing plans to re-record her first six albums after a controversy over her masters in 2019.
Ruth Handler
Ruth Handler, a co-founder of Mattel, transformed childhoods worldwide by inventing the Barbie doll in 1959, which she named after her own children, Barbara and Ken.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman, an esteemed American hero, undertook 19 perilous journeys from the South to the North via the Underground Railroad, liberating more than 300 people before passing away at the age of 93 in 1913.
Mazie Hirono
Mazie Hirono, who served as Hawaii’s lieutenant governor from 1994 to 2002, made history in 2013 as the first Asian American Pacific Islander woman and the first Buddhist senator sworn into the Senate.
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez, celebrated for both her acting and Grammy-nominated music, has been a role model for young women for over a decade. She actively supports mental health awareness, lupus advocacy, and youth education through her Rare Impact Fund.
Donyale Luna
Luna’s influence extended to Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, and other Black supermodels. She made history as the first woman of color to grace the cover of British Vogue in March 1966, passing away at the age of 33 in 1979.
Susan B. Anthony
Anthony, a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Association, dedicated her life to achieving gender equality and women’s right to vote. Unfortunately, she died in 1906, 14 years before witnessing the passage of the 19th Amendment.
Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama, the first Black First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, prioritized initiatives in health, education, and later launched the Girls Opportunity Alliance in 2018 with the Obama Foundation.
