History books don’t always tell the full story, but women have shaped the world. Some fought wars, some fought laws, and some fought just to be heard. They may not have received the recognition they deserved back then, but they kept going anyway.
The freedoms, rights, and choices that seem normal today? Somebody had to fight for them. These 15 women did.
Harriet Tubman (c. 1822–1913)
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland. In 1849, she escaped and spent the next decade risking her life to rescue others using the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War (1861–1865), Harriet became a Union scout who led the raid in 1863, freeing 750 enslaved people. She didn’t stop there; she continued fighting for women’s rights until her passing in 1913.
Joan of Arc (c. 1412–1431)
Joan of Arc, born in a small village in France, made history at just 17 when she led armies and changed history. Joan convinced the French king to allow her into battle and helped win numerous key battles in the Hundred Years’ War. Joan’s victories pushed the English back, leading to the French king’s coronation in 1429.
Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906)
Susan B. Anthony ensured women at the time had a voice. Susan was born in Massachusetts; she became a leader in the fight for women’s voting rights. Susan co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association and spent decades pushing for change. She died 14 years before women won the right to vote, but her fight made it possible.
Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013)
Margaret Thatcher pushed through doors that didn’t open for her. She became Britain’s first female prime minister in 1979. She led for 11 years, longer than anyone in the 20th century. Most still know Margaret as the “Iron Lady” who cut government spending, took on unions, and led Britain through war. Some loved her, others hated her, but no one could ignore her.
Amelia Earhart (1897–disappeared 1937)
Amelia Earhart wasn’t afraid to fly when most thought women belonged on the ground. In 1928, she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger, and in 1932, she did it solo. Amelia broke records, inspired women to chase their dreams, and kept pushing limits. In 1937, she disappeared while trying to fly around the world.
Katherine Johnson (1918–2020)
Computers weren’t always as reliable as they are today, and during Katherine Johnson’s time, NASA trusted human minds for critical calculations. In the 1960s, Katherine calculated the launch and landing paths for John Glenn’s 1962 orbit and the Apollo 11 moon landing. Her tireless work helped send astronauts into space, but it took decades for her to receive recognition.
Indira Gandhi (1917–1984)
Politics wasn’t always welcoming to women, and during Indira Gandhi’s time, few believed a woman could lead India. Born in 1917, Indira was exposed to politics from a young age, as her father was India’s first prime minister. In 1966, Indira became prime minister and led India through wars, political crises, and economic struggles. She was tough, decisive, and not afraid of controversy.
Frida Kahlo (1907–1954)
During the first half of the 1900s, art was not considered a space for rebellion, and women weren’t encouraged to express their struggles on canvas. Frida was born in 1907 and endured polio as a child. At 18, she survived a bus crash that left her in lifelong pain. She poured this into striking self-portraits, and her work defied expectations, blending surrealism with personal pain.
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)
Despite many before her being First Lady, it didn’t mean these women always had a voice. But from 1933 to 1945, Eleanor Roosevelt changed this while Franklin D. Roosevelt served as president. Eleanor spoke out on civil rights, women’s rights, and poverty, reshaping the role entirely. She also helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
Rosa Parks (1913–2005)
Standing up to injustice in the early 1900s could cost you everything, including your life. Rosa Parks was born in 1913 in Alabama and made history in 1955. Rosa refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger and was arrested. This act sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a movement that lasted over a year and changed civil rights in America.
Marie Curie (1867–1934)
Women were not encouraged to pursue science during the 1800s and early 1900s; it was unheard of. Marie Curie, born in 1867 in Poland, became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in 1903 for discovering radioactivity. Marie won another in 1911 for isolating radium and polonium. Her work led to breakthroughs in medicine and cancer treatment.
Sojourner Truth (c. 1797–1883)
Speaking out, especially as a woman, was downright dangerous in the late 1700s to early 1800s, but this didn’t stop Sojourner Truth. Sojourner was born into slavery in New York around 1797 and freed herself in 1826. She spent her life fighting for abolition and women’s rights. In 1851, she delivered her famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, challenging racism and sexism in one breath.
Ida B. Wells (1862–1931)
While there’s free speech today, it could have gotten you killed in Ida B. Wells’ time. Ida was born into slavery but later became a journalist who exposed the horrors of lynching in the South. In the 1890s, after three of her friends were murdered, Ida launched an investigation that put her life in danger, but she kept fighting for civil rights and women’s suffrage.
Ada Lovelace (1815–1852)
In the early to mid-1800s, computers were merely an idea. Ada was a brilliant mathematician who worked with Charles Babbage on his early mechanical computer. In 1843, Ada wrote the first computer program, imagining machines that could do more than just crunch numbers. Ada died in 1852, long before computers became real, but her ideas shaped modern technology.
Dolores Huerta (born 1930 )
Dolores Huerta, born in 1930, co-founded the United Farm Workers in 1962 when there were no worker protections or fair wages for farmworkers. Dolores organized strikes and negotiated contracts that gave workers better pay and conditions. She faced threats, violence, and arrests but never backed down. Dolores’ phrase “Sí, se puede” became a symbol of activism.
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