Women are an essential part of society. Throughout history, we have proven to be as competent as men in all aspects of life, sometimes even better. We are characterized by being understanding, delicate, hardworking and proactive among many other attributes.
But how often do we thank women? March is Women’s History Month where we honor and thank the women who came before us for fighting for the rights we have now. Let’s check out this list which contains the names and short bios of 10 incredible women who changed the world.
10. Susan B. Anthony, crusader for the women’s suffrage movement.
Susan was an advocate for women’s suffrage, so she helped to win women the right to not only vote but to live, dream and accomplish things that before her, men had only been deemed capable of. Aside from that Anthony also campaigned extensively for the abolition of slavery and the labor rights of women.
9. Clara Barton, Civil War nurse and founder of the American Red Cross.
The American, Clarissa Harlowe Barton became a fundamental person in the history of humanity for being the founder of the American Red Cross. She was a teacher and a Civil War nurse.
8. Marie Curie, the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize.
The Polish Marie Curie was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize. She is known for discovering two new elements of the periodic table (polonium and radium), conducting extensive research on radioactivity and being involved in the development of X-ray machines.
7. Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic.
Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and complete the record-breaking journey from the US to Ireland in nearly 15 hours. This woman also received the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross and set many other records for the writing of best-selling books about her flying experiences and for being in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots.
6. Margaret Sanger, a reproductive rights activist who popularized the term “birth control” and laid the foundation for Planned Parenthood.
Sanger was an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse who popularized the term “birth control.” Opening the first birth control clinic in the United States and establishing organizations that evolved into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
5. Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the United States House of Representatives.
The New Yorker Shirley Chisholm is best known for becoming, in 1968, the first black congresswoman representing New York State in the U.S. House of Representatives for seven terms. After four years, this woman became the first major-party black candidate to make a bid for the U.S. presidency.
4. Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to travel into space.
The Russian young woman used to work in a textile mill and parachuted as a hobby. Tereshkova was chosen to be trained as a cosmonaut in the USSR’s space program and in 1963, Valentina became the first woman to travel into space aboard Vostok 6.
3. Junko Tabei, the first woman to climb Mount Everest.
Junko Tabei was not only a Japanese alpinist who became the first woman to scale Mount Everest and to ascend the highest summit of every continent. But Tabei also challenged cultural stereotypes in her homeland about a woman’s role in society while at the same time drawing on the deep spiritual feeling many Japanese people have for mountains.
2. Margaret Thatcher, the first female British prime minister.
Margaret Thatcher was the first woman to lead a major Western democracy. The exceptional woman won three successive General Elections and served as British Prime Minister for more than eleven years (1979-1990), a record unmatched in the twentieth century.
1. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, the first woman to achieve the rank of four-star general.