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101 Women in History Everyone Should Know

Throughout history, women have made significant contributions to society in various fields, from science and politics to literature and humanitarian work. These 101 women have shaped history and continue to inspire generations.

A list of 101 important women throughout history. Resource list for women's studies or unit study for homeschooling. heartandsoulhomeschooling.com

101 Women in History Everyone Should Know

Trailblazers in Women’s Rights and Social Reform

  1. Lucretia Mott – Advocate for women’s rights and abolitionist.
  2. Emmeline Pankhurst – Leader of the British suffragette movement.
  3. Shirley Chisholm – First Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress.
  4. Susan B. Anthony – Key leader in the U.S. women’s suffrage movement.
  5. Elizabeth Cady Stanton – Early feminist and women’s rights activist.
  6. Sojourner Truth – Abolitionist and women’s rights advocate.
  7. Rosa Parks – Civil rights activist known for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
  8. Harriet Tubman – Abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor.
  9. Phillis Wheatley – First published African American female poet.
  10. Ida B. Wells – Journalist and anti-lynching crusader.
  11. Carrie Chapman Catt – Women’s suffrage leader.
  12. Matilda Joslyn Gage – Women’s rights advocate and author.
  13. The Grimké Sisters, Angelina and Sarah – Abolitionists and women’s rights activists.
  14. Mary Eliza Church Terrell – Civil rights and suffrage activist.

Leaders and Political Pioneers

  1. Madeleine Albright – First female U.S. Secretary of State.
  2. Hillary Rodham Clinton – Former U.S. Secretary of State and first woman nominated for president by a major party.
  3. Sandra Day O’Connor – First woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
  4. Eleanor Roosevelt – First Lady, diplomat, and human rights advocate.
  5. Golda Meir – Prime Minister of Israel.
  6. Margaret Thatcher – First female Prime Minister of the U.K.
  7. Indira Gandhi – Prime Minister of India.
  8. Geraldine Ferraro – First female U.S. vice presidential candidate for a major party.
  9. Janet Reno – First female U.S. Attorney General.
  10. Frances Perkins – First woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet.

Scientists and Medical Innovators

  1. Marie Curie – Pioneering physicist and chemist, first woman to win a Nobel Prize.
  2. Nettie Stevens – Geneticist who discovered sex chromosomes.
  3. Virginia Apgar – Developed the Apgar Score for newborn health.
  4. Elizabeth Blackwell – First female doctor in the U.S.
  5. Barbara McClintock – Geneticist and Nobel Prize winner.
  6. Mary Jacobi – Physician and advocate for women’s medical education.
  7. Alice Evans – Bacteriologist who helped develop pasteurization.
  8. Gertrude Belle Elion – Biochemist and Nobel Prize winner.
  9. Beatrice A. Hicks – Engineer and co-founder of the Society of Women Engineers.
  10. Grace Hopper – Pioneer in computer programming.
  11. Mary Edwards Walker – Physician and only woman to receive the U.S. Medal of Honor.

Literary and Artistic Influencers

  1. Jane Austen – Author of classic novels like Pride and Prejudice.
  2. Louisa May Alcott – Author of Little Women.
  3. Charlotte Brontë – Author of Jane Eyre.
  4. Emily Brontë – Author of Wuthering Heights.
  5. L.M. Montgomery – Author of Anne of Green Gables.
  6. Laura Ingalls Wilder – Author of Little House on the Prairie series.
  7. Emily Dickinson – Renowned American poet.
  8. Maya Angelou – Poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist.
  9. Flannery O’Connor – Noted Southern Gothic writer.
  10. Beatrix Potter – Author and illustrator of The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
  11. Harriet Beecher Stowe – Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
  12. Pearl S. Buck – Nobel Prize-winning author.
  13. Elizabeth Prentiss – Author and hymn writer.

Pioneers in Education and Faith-Based Work

  1. Charlotte Mason – Education reformer.
  2. Maria Montessori – Developed the Montessori method of education.
  3. Amy Carmichael – Missionary and social reformer in India.
  4. Mary Lyon – Founder of Mount Holyoke College.
  5. Elisabeth Elliot – Christian missionary and author.
  6. Corrie Ten Boom – Holocaust survivor and Christian author.
  7. Ruth Bell Graham – Christian author and wife of Billy Graham.
  8. Hannah More – Writer and philanthropist.
  9. Annie Armstrong – Southern Baptist missionary leader.
  10. Lottie Moon – Missionary to China.
  11. Mary Slessor – Missionary to Africa.
  12. Gladys Aylward – Missionary to China.
  13. Mother Teresa – Nobel Prize-winning humanitarian.

Adventurers and Explorers

  1. Amelia Earhart – Pioneering aviator.
  2. Eileen Collins – First female space shuttle commander.
  3. Sally Ride – First American woman in space.
  4. Jackie Cochran – Record-breaking pilot.
  5. Anne Morrow Lindbergh – Aviator and author.
  6. Nellie Bly – Journalist and world traveler.

Revolutionaries and War Heroes

  1. Joan of Arc – French military leader and saint.
  2. Molly Pitcher – Revolutionary War heroine.
  3. Sybil Ludington – Revolutionary War messenger.
  4. Abigail Adams – Advocate for women’s rights and First Lady.
  5. Betsy Ross – Credited with making the first American flag.
  6. Mercy Otis Warren – Political writer and propagandist.

Biblical and Religious Figures

  1. Queen Esther – Jewish queen who saved her people.
  2. Mary, mother of Jesus – Central biblical figure.
  3. Anne Sullivan – Teacher of Helen Keller.
  4. Helen Keller – Advocate for the blind and deaf.

Environmentalists and Activists

  1. Rachel Carson – Environmental scientist and author of Silent Spring.
  2. Marian Wright Edelman – Children’s rights activist.

This list only scratches the surface of the incredible impact women have had throughout history. Each of these women broke barriers and paved the way for future generations, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire today.

Read more of this series by clicking the image below:

31 Days of Women in History at heartandsoulhomeschooling.com
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