Women in History
This woman created specialized hair products for African American hair. She is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist. She is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America in the Guinness Book of World Records. Her birth name is Sarah Breedlove.
Madam CJ Walker
This woman achieved fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B group Destiny's Child and then launched a hugely successful solo career. She also holds the record for most Grammy wins ever by a female artist with 28 wins.
Beyonce
This woman is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She provided the voice of Dory. She launched her daytime TV talk show in 2003. She was one of the most influential celebrities to advocate gay rights. She inspired so many people to open up even before it was legal.
Ellen DeGeneres
An American politician, diplomat, lawyer, writer, and public speaker who served as the 67th United States secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senator from New York from 2001 to 2009, and as First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001.
Hillary Clinton
She is an American artistic gymnast. She is the 2012 Olympic all around champion and the 2015 World all-around silver medalist. She is the first African American to win the all-around title.
Gabby Douglas
This woman is known as “The Lady With the Lamp.” She was a British nurse, social reformer and statistician. She is best known as the founder of modern nursing. Her experiences as a nurse during the Crimean War were foundational in her views about sanitation. She improved unsanitary conditions at a British base hospital, greatly reducing the death count.
Florence Nightingale
She was an American jazz singer, referred to as the First Lady of Song or Queen of Jazz. She was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. Her voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless.
Ella Fitzgerald
This American television host, philanthropist, entrepreneur and media personality was born in Mississippi. Her first movie debut in 1985 was in The Color Purple. At the end of the 20th century Life Magazine listed her as both the most influential woman and the most influential black person of her generation, and in a cover story profile the magazine called her "America's Most Powerful Woman”. She had her own daytime show and network.
Oprah Winfrey
She was a member of the British royal family. This woman was celebrated in the media for her unconventional approach to charity work. Her support initially centered on children and youth but she later became known for her involvement with AIDS patients and campaign for the removal of landmines. She tragically passed away from a car crash caused by paparazzi.
Princess Diana of Wales
This woman gained attention in the tennis community with her sister at the French Open in 1999. She became a national sensation when she beat Martina Hingis for the US Open title in just her second full year on the tour. She is the the second African-American woman to win a Grand Slam singles title. She is the only female tennis player in history to have surpassed the $50 million mark in career earnings.
Serena Williams
She was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. She wanted to be the first woman to fly around the world. During this flight she disappeared and was never seen again.
Amelia Earhart
She was an American singer who created urgent emotional intensity by singing songs of love, protest, and Black empowerment in a dramatic style, with a rough-edged voice.
Nina Simone
This woman became the first black woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Director, and also the first black female director to have her film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Ava DuVernay
She is an American attorney and author who served as the First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married to the 44th President of the United States.
An American ballet dancer for American Ballet Theatre, one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States. She is the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT's 75-year history. She has also written books including the children's book Bunheads.
She is a campaigner for girls' education from Pakistan. She was shot by the Taliban in 2012, when she was just 14 years old, but continued her work and became the youngest person ever to win the world-famous Nobel Peace Prize
Malala Yousafzai
This woman was an American actress, model, and singer. Famous for playing comedic "blonde bombshell" characters and also had relationships with Arthur Miller, Joe DiMaggio and, possibly, President John F. Kennedy. She was a strong woman's rights activist in a time where women had very little too no rights. She was the first woman to get script and director approval in her films. She was also an early advocate of civil rights.
Marilyn Monroe
This woman is a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico.
Frida Kahlo
This woman fought for equal rights and women's rights. She was an American lawyer and judge who served as on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in September 2020. She was the first Jewish woman and the second woman to serve on the Court.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
She is an American artistic gymnast. With a combined total of 30 Olympic and World Championship medals, she is the most decorated American gymnast. She has a total of four skills in the gymnastics code of points that are named after her. She plans on competing in the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Simone Biles
A teenage activist from Sweden who has become the face of the youth climate movement. In 2018, she started sitting outside the Swedish parliament every Friday as part of a climate strike. On September 20, 2019, she led the largest climate strike in history.
Greta Thunberg
This famous singer was originally from Newark, NJ. She was certified as the most awarded female artist of all time by Guinness World Records and is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. She is very popular even after her death. Her voice is very recognizable.
Whitney Houston
She was a civil rights activist, poet and award-winning author known for her acclaimed 1969 memoir, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,' and her numerous poetry and essay collections. She worked alongside MLK Jr.
Maya Angelou
This woman has ruled for longer than any other Monarch in British history. Her father ascended the throne on the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She was the Queen consort of King George VI until his death in 1952. She is best known for her moral support to the British people during WWII and her longevity.
Queen Elizabeth II
She was the first American woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics. At the 1960 Rome Olympics, she became "the fastest woman in the world" and the first American woman to win three gold medals in one Olympics.
Wilma Rudolph