55 Famous Women in History Who Changed the World

Over the years, history has seen countless incredible women. We're talking about the kind of inspirational, powerful heroes who shook up the world as we know it. From women's rights activists and pioneers of racial equality to inventors, scientists, and world leaders, there are plenty of women throughout history who did the damn thing. So, even though we're still often faced with blatant discrimination on the basis of sex, real progress has been made. For inspiration that'll drive you to make your own mark on the world, find inspiration in just some of the many women who shifted our culture in meaningful ways.

(If you're searching for more inspiration from badass women, we've gathered a list of female Black history heroes that have gone unsung, and for movie lovers, a list of the best feminist movies of all time.)

Jane Austen (1775-1817)

You can thank Jane Austen for basically creating those romance books you love to read. In her teenage years during the early 1810s, she started writing her most famous novels, like Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. She didn't even get credit for her novels until after her death when her brother Henry publicly announced she was the author. Even today, the themes of her works and literary devices still hold up.

Queen Lili'uokalani (1838-1917)

Lydia Liliʻu Loloku Walania Wewehi Kamakaʻeha of the Kamehameha Dynasty became the first and only reigning queen of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1891. After she was arrested and overthrown in an 1893 pro-American coup d'etat, she continued to advocate for the Hawaiian people and their nation’s sovereignty until her death in 1917. She was also an author and songwriter who composed more than 150 songs, including one of Hawaii’s most well-known songs, “Aloha Oe.”

Nellie Bly (1864-1922)

Nellie Bly basically set the standard for investigative journalism. At a time when women writers were confined to the society pages, Bly tackled more serious topics like mental health, poverty, and corruption in politics. She's most famous for going undercover at the insane asylum on Blackwell’s (now Roosevelt) Island. Her exposé on the horrific conditions brought about much-needed changes to patient care. She also set the world record for circumnavigating the world. She completed the feat in just 72 days.

Marie Curie (1867-1934)

Marie Curie did not leave science to the men. Instead, the Polish scientist's work led to the discovery of two new elements, polonium and radium, and championed the use of radiation in medicine. She became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in 1903, then she won again in 1911 in Chemistry.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

When her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt took office, Eleanor didn't just stand by—she dramatically changed the role of the first lady, advocating for human rights, women's rights, and children's causes. She went on to become chair of the U.N.'s Human Rights Commission in 1945.

Amelia Earhart (1897-1937)

In 1928, Earhart was the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. She was also the 16th woman to be issued a pilot's license. She mysteriously disappeared during a flight in 1937, and was pronounced legally dead two years later.

Anna May Wong (1905-1961)

Hollywood has historically been a tough industry for actors of color, but Wong found box-office success as a Chinese-American actress in the 1930s. Her decades-long career survived the transition from black-and-white silent films to talkies and technicolor. In 2022, she became the first Asian American featured on U.S. currency.

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)

A force in the art world, Kahlo became known in Mexico and around the world for creating thought-provoking works grounded in magical realism. Her 1938 self-portrait, titled "The Frame," was the first work by a 20th-century Mexican artist to be featured in the Louvre.

Lucille Ball (1911-1989)

The beloved sitcom I Love Lucy made its television debut in 1951. Ball became known as one of America’s top comedians for her iconic role on the show, which had storylines about marital issues and women in the workforce.

Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000)

The "Golden Age" actress was credited for helping to co-invent a radio signaling device, a.k.a a “Secret Communications System.” The system changed radio frequencies to confuse and hinder enemies during World War II, and it's a crucial part of how we communicate wirelessly today.

Indira Gandhi (1917-1984)

In 1966, Gandhi became the third prime minister of India, and is one of few examples of women rising to power in the country. She continued in her role for more than 20 years until she was assassinated in 1984.

Katherine G. Johnson (1918-2020)

Johnson, a mathematician, was one of the brains behind the complex calculations that helped us fly into space. In 1969, she helped successfully send the first man to the moon. Her work is highlighted in the film Hidden Figures, about the pioneering African American women at NASA.

Anne Frank (1929-1945)

Frank was a young Jewish girl who died in a concentration camp in 1945. Her father, Otto Frank, escaped and published his daughter's now-famous diaries in 1947, which chronicled her experiences during the Holocaust. Her writing has helped historians (and readers) better understand the time.

Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022)

After the death of her father King George VI, Elizabeth became Queen on February 6, 1952, but her official coronation wasn’t until June 2, 1953. She was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, and she made numerous changes to the monarchy during her rule.

Rosa Parks (1913-2005)

Back in the '50s, the rule in Montgomery, Alabama, was that if a bus became full, the seats at the front would be given to white passengers. Parks, a leader in the local NAACP and the civil rights movement, iconically refused to give up her seat. Her willingness to disobey the rule helped to spark the Montgomery boycott and other efforts to end segregation in America.

Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)

She was already a widely-known American jazz singer when, in 1958, she made history, becoming the first African American woman to win a Grammy. She collected two that year: best individual jazz performance and best female vocal performance.

Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958)

We can thank British scientist Rosalind Franklin for much of what we know of DNA today. Using X-ray diffraction methods, she discovered DNA's density and, more importantly, its molecular structure. This gave way to James Watson and Francis Crick's discovery that DNA is shaped in a double helix. Her discovery changed how scientists view genetics and how genes are passed down in families.

Betty Friedan (1921-2006)

Friedan is best known for writing the book The Feminine Mystique, which encourages women to seek more opportunities for themselves outside traditional home-based roles. She went on to co-found and become president of the National Organization for Women.

Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005)

In 1968, Chisholm made history when she became the first Black woman to be elected into Congress. The Brooklyn-born activist and political leader later entered the 1975 Democratic presidential race—the first woman and the first Black American to do so.

Celia Cruz (1925-2003)

When she joined forces with the popular band Sonora Matancera in 1950, Cruz had no idea that she would become the voice of a nation; throughout the '60s, the "Queen of Salsa" became one of the most prolific musicians in Latin America. At the same time, Cruz championed the cause of her fellow Cubans during the regime of Fidel Castro, speaking out against the violence of his government.

Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

Maya Angelou was a poet, singer, and civil rights activist whose 1969 autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings made literary history as the first nonfiction bestseller by an African American woman. During her life, she wrote over 36 books, including several collections of poetry, and recited one of her poems at President Bill Clinton's 1993 inaugural ceremony.

Althea Gibson (1927-2003)

Serena Williams might be the most famous tennis player on Earth, but she might not have gotten her start if not for the persistence of Althea Gibson. In 1951, Gibson made her historic debut as the first African American woman to play at Wimbledon.

Sandra Day O'Connor (1930-2023)

In 1981, O'Connor became the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. O'Connor was nominated by President Ronald Reagan, and the senate vote to appoint her was unanimous. She was a key swing vote in upholding big cases like Roe v. Wade at various points.

Toni Morrison (1931-2019)

Writer and professor Toni Morrison shot into the national spotlight after the release of her first novel The Bluest Eye in 1970. From then on, Morrison was committed to telling stories about Black lives through poetic and intimate prose, winning the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1977 for Song of Solomon and the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved in 1988. After the third novel in the Beloved trilogy was published, she became the first Black woman to win the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature.

Rita Moreno (1931-Present)

After starring in the 1961 film adaptation of West Side Story, Moreno rocketed into superstardom, going on to work in Hollywood and on Broadway in numerous roles. Today, she is still the only Latino to earn the coveted EGOT (which means she's won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony).

Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

The actress—formerly known for her scandalous love affairs—started the Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation in 1991 after her close friend, Rock Hudson, died from the disease. The foundation lends support to those who are sick and funds research for more advanced treatments. Taylor was a pioneer at a time when many celebrities and most politicians were not talking about the AIDS crisis.

Miriam Makeba (1932-2008)

Nicknamed "Mama Africa," Makeba is renowned throughout South Africa and the rest of the continent for her endless activism. She used her global platform as a singer-songwriter to speak against apartheid in the '70s and '80s, calling attention to the plight of black South Africans through her music.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020)

As the second woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a pioneer for women's rights and gender equality. During her time serving in the highest court of the country, she made many landmark decisions, including 1996's United States v. Virginia, which held the Virginia Military Institute could not refuse to admit women.

Jane Goodall (1934-Present)

Goodall began studying chimpanzees in the Gombe Stream National Park of Tanzania in 1960, and her extensive research (which has spanned almost 60 years) has provided some of the most groundbreaking insight into the minds and social lives of our closest relatives, chimpanzees. The primatologist and anthropologist went on to found the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, as well as the Roots and Shoots program in 1991, as an effort to encourage wildlife conservation efforts.

Gloria Steinem (1934-Present)

Gloria Steinem may be one of the world's most outspoken activists in the women's liberation movement. Over the years, she's led marches, spoken at rallies, written several books, and helped to form both New York and Ms. magazines. Today, she's still a fierce defender of social justice and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her efforts in 2013.

Madeleine Albright (1937-2022)

Albright became the first female secretary of state when, in 1996, President Clinton, selected her to represent the United States in foreign affairs. An advocate for human rights, she fought to prevent the expansion of nuclear weapons and broker peace in the Middle East.

Wangari Maathai (1940-2011)

Through her Green Belt Movement, environmentalist and human’s rights activist Wangari Maathai assisted women’s groups in planting more than 20 million trees in her native Kenya. She was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. In 2004, she became the first Black African woman to win a Nobel Prize for her “contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.”

Aretha Franklin (1942-2018)

Memphis-born and Detroit-raised, Franklin was destined to be a legend. She got her start singing gospel music but made her name in soul with songs like "Chain of Fools," "Rock Steady," and the iconic anthem "Respect." In 1987, she was the first woman ever to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Angela Davis (1944-Present)

Known for her progressive politics and work to abolish prisons, scholar and activist Angela Davis has been at the forefront of leftist causes–including the feminist movement, the Black Panther Party, and the anti-war effort–for over half a century. In 1970, the state of California prosecuted and wrongfully imprisoned Davis for three capital felonies, including conspiracy to murder, after an armed standoff occurred in a Marin County courtroom. She was released over a year later, in 1972. Undaunted, she continues to advocate for civil rights, gender equity, and prison abolition.

Dolly Parton (1946-Present)

You may know Dolly Parton as the glamorous, quick-whited country singer, but she's also a huge philanthropist. In 1955, she created the Imagination Library, a program that gifts free books to kids under 5 to foster a love of reading at a young age. She's also donated $1 million toward the research behind Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine and another $1 million to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in honor of her niece, who was treated for leukemia at that hospital.

Hillary Clinton (1947-Present)

After her tenure as First Lady, Hillary Clinton was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000. She went on to serve as Secretary of State under Barack Obama and, in 2016, became the first woman in U.S. history to be the presidential nominee of a major political party.

Octavia E. Butler (1947-2006)

As a best-selling science-fiction author, Butler pioneered the Afrofuturism movement and made several predictions for the near future that have since come to life. (There’s a reason her Parable series became a must-read in the late 2010s.) She received several accolades during her career, including a MacArthur “Genius Grant” and multiple Hugo and Nebula awards for her works, including Bloodchild and Parable of the Talents.

Meryl Streep (1949-Present)

Streep has now broken her own record for most acting Oscar nominations—21 to be exact. Her first nomination was for 1978's The Deer Hunter, but she didn't end up winning an Oscar until 1980 for her performance in Kramer vs. Kramer.

Kathryn Bigelow (1951-Present)

Bigelow became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director for her film The Hurt Locker, which also won Best Picture in 2009, making it the first film by a woman director to win that honor.

Sally Ride (1951-2012)

Ride became the first American woman to travel to space on the shuttle Challenger in 1983. The astrophysicist and Stanford-grad beat out at least 1,000 other applicants for a spot in the NASA astronaut program.

Amy Tan (1952-Present)

Tan is the author of The Joy Luck Club, which “explored the relationship between Chinese women and their Chinese-American daughters.” It was the longest-running title on The New York Times Best Seller list in 1989. The novel has been translated into 25 different languages since it was first published.

Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007)

Bhutto became the first woman prime minister of Pakistan in 1988. After a military coup overthrew her father's government, she inherited leadership of the Pakistan People's Party . She pushed for open elections, and won, just three months after giving birth.

Oprah Winfrey (1954-Present)

Winfrey started out as a Nashville reporter in the '70s before she was offered her own 30-minute talk show on a Chicago station. The Oprah Winfrey Show went national in 1986. By 2003 she'd earned the title of first female African American billionaire.

Sonia Sotomayor (1954-Present)

Justice Sotomayer was appointed to the United States Supreme Court in 2009 by President Barack Obama, making her the first ever Hispanic woman to serve on the highest court in the land.

Dr. Mae C. Jemison (1956-Present)

Jemison was the first African American woman to be accepted into NASA’s astronaut program. She went on to become the first African American woman to fly into space in 1992 aboard the Endeavour.

Princess Diana (1961-1997)

Best known as “the people’s princess,” the Princess of Wales was a style icon and dedicated philanthropist who advocated for charities helping children, the unhoused, and the elderly. She also used her public platform to raise international awareness for humanitarian causes, including landmines and the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Kamala Harris (1964-Present)

On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris became the first woman and the first African American and South Asian person to become the Vice President of the United States. But she's pretty used to breaking glass ceilings; after her successful bid for California Attorney General, she became the first woman and person of color to hold the position.

Tammy Duckworth (1968-Present)

In 2017, Duckworth became the first Thai-American woman and the first female amputee to be elected to Congress. Just one year into her term, Duckworth fought for a resolution allowing infants into the chamber room, ensuring that new parents in the Senate wouldn't have to miss out on any votes because of their newborns.

Sheryl Swoopes (1971-Present)

Often referred to as the "female Michael Jordan," Swoopes is a certified basketball legend. As one of the first women to be signed into the WNBA, Swoopes paved the way for the greats that would follow her, but she made sure to set the bar high—throughout her career, Swoopes has won three Olympic gold medals, is a three-time WNBA MVP, and tops every WNBA player list that has ever existed.

Laverne Cox (1972-Present)

In 2014, actress and activist Laverne Cox became the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy in an acting category for her role in the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. She took home a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Series for her film Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word in 2015, making history as the first openly transgender woman to win the award. When she's not acting, she's advocating on behalf of transgender rights and equality.

Ava DuVernay (1972-Present)

DuVernay was the first female African American director to earn a Golden Globe nomination and have a film nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, both for Selma. She also directed the hit Netflix miniseries When They See Us, the story of the wrongfully convicted Central Park Five, among other projects.

Tegla Loroupe (1979-Present)

The Kenyan long-distance runner became the first African American woman to win the N.Y.C. Marathon in 1994. According to the Wall Street Journal, "Since Loroupe's victory, Kenyan women have won five of the intervening New York marathons and now own six world records in distance running." She has her own peace and humanitarian foundation called the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation.

Michelle Kwan (1980-Present)

In one of the most competitive eras of figure skating, Kwan's star shone brightly among the likes of Tara Lipinski and Sasha Cohen. From the time that she first took up skating at age 8 to her final run on the ice, Kwan has always been on top; to this day, she is the most decorated figure skater in American history, with two Olympic medals and five World championship titles.

Malala Yousafzai (1997-Present)

Yousafzai survived a gunshot wound to the face by the Taliban and has since become a spokesperson for human rights, education, and women’s rights. In 2014, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Simone Biles (1997-Present)

Since stepping into the limelight at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as a member of the "Fab Five," Biles has been shattering gymnastics records day by day. In addition to being a six-time World All-Around Champion, she already has two gymnastics skills named after her (the Biles on floor and the Biles on vault).