Women in STEM
This English primatologist was famous for her longitudinal study of chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania. While living among them for decades, she revolutionized the idea that animals are also autonomous, feeling, thinking beings. She later became a staunch advocate for human rights for those affected by climate change.
Jane Goodall
This singer debuted in 2019 and is the first woman to win Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist in a single ceremony. She recently won "Song of the Year" for the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Billie Eilish
Debuting in 1941, this comic book hero was one of the original seven members of the Justice League, and the only female one at that. She is notable for her lasso of truth, invisible jet, and all-American leotard.
Wonder Woman
Formerly the District Attorney of San Francisco, this politician assumed the role of California Senator in 2017. After serving three consecutive terms, she resigned from her position to become the first female Vice President of the United States.
Kamala Harris
This Gen-Z superactivist first rose to fame for her environmental activism, but her influence has spread to other global issues. She was recently intercepted by the Israeli military while trying to bring aid to the Gaza Strip.
Greta Thunberg
The moon landing would never have happened without these mathematicians. These ladies were the first African American "human computers," engineers, and technologists who faced many trials on the Apollo 11 project. You can watch their story play out in an award-winning film from 2016, starring Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, and Janelle Monae.
Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson (The "Hidden Figures")
This actress holds the record for most Oscar nominations for acting, with a total of 21 nominations and 3 wins. She is known for starring in dozens of blockbuster films such as Sophie's Choice, Death Becomes Her, and The Devil Wears Prada.
Meryl Streep
One of the most popular Disney Princesses of the late 90s - early 2000s, this heroine doesn't have a crown nor a Disney ride, but she does have a dragon and a kill count in the thousands. She was the second Woman of Color to be the lead in a Disney movie. She's also based on a true story.
Mulan
This queen was the last Pharaoh of the Ptolemy dynasty in Ancient Egypt. She was acclaimed for her skills as a diplomat and military strategist, and could speak over eight languages. She is also infamous for her scandalous relationships with Roman Emperors Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.
Queen Cleopatra VII
This young woman advocates for women's right to education in Pakistan. She was targeted by the Taliban in 2012, when she was shot in the head while boarding the bus to school. She later became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2014 at the age of 17.
Malala Yousafzai
Known for her work in radioactivity research and the discovery of polonium and radium, this chemist/physicist was the first person to ever win two separate Nobel Prizes for her research. She worked so extensively with these elements that her remains are encased in a lead-lined coffin to protect anyone who visits her grave from radiation poisoning.
Madame Marie Curie
This Mexican painter was best known for her unique, dreamlike self-portraits. Some of her paintings include "Diego and I," "Self Portrait with Cropped Hair," and "Henry Ford Hospital." While she suffered from physical deformities due to polio, she is most easily recognized by her unibrow.
Frida Kahlo (Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón)
In a world of beige and gray, it's good to be pink. This film heroine was president of Delta Nu, got dumped, made it to Harvard Law School, and solved a murder case all within one year. "What? Like it's hard?"
Elle Woods
This U.S. Representative has spent much of her career focusing on environmental protections and government reform. She was elected to office in 2019 to represent New York's 14th congressional district. She prides herself on being critiqued as "too liberal" or "a difficult woman."
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC)
Susan B. Anthony
While Watson and Crick are credited with discovering the double helix "ladder" of DNA, this scientist was the first person to actually discover it through X-ray crystallography. She died at the age of 37 of ovarian cancer (attributed to overexposure to radiation from these xrays), and could not receive any credit from the Nobel committee posthumously.
Rosalind Franklin
Bow down to the "Queen of Soul." Overcoming a traumatic childhood, this singer rose to fame at the age of 18 when she signed a record deal with Columbia Records in 1960. She starred in The Blues Brothers film series, and her songs are featured in blockbusters like Forrest Gump (1994). Show her a little R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Aretha Franklin
She may be blind, but she sees the world better than anyone else does. Arguably the strongest earthbender in the series, this tiny but mighty heroine defeated countless grown men at the Ba Sing Se earthbending arena and isn't afraid of any scary Fire Lord.
Toph Beifong
This Protestant queen ruled over England from 1558 - 1603. The second daughter of King Henry VIII, she vowed to become a greater ruler than he was. She enjoyed the theater, defeated the Spanish Armada, and is best known for her decision to never marry.
Queen Elizabeth I
Known for her involvement in the 1969 Stonewall riots, this trans woman was co-founder of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR). She was a major advocate for queer Black people at risk of homelessness, violence, and exposure to AIDS.
Marsha P. Johnson
This mathematician calculated a diagram of the shape of the earth, which led to the development of satelitte geodesy models, making GPS technology possible. She passed away this January at the age of 95.
Gladys West
Dubbed the "Mother of Science Fiction", this English author wrote one of the most influential novels of all time in her teenage years. She published her story anonymously in 1818 before rising to fame in the early 1830s. This tale of a disturbed scientist as his creation comes to life is more than just a story of science-gone-wrong, but of revenge, isolation, and prejudice.
Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein)
She's a fast-talking, no-nonsense commanding officer of the Manhattan Special Victims Unit. Played by Mariska Hargitay for over 27 seasons, this character is a complex representation of female police in a male-centered field.
Olivia Benson
Named Forbes's "Most Powerful Woman of 2025," this German native served as Germany's Federal Minister of Defense from 2013 - 2019 before becoming the first female President of the European Commission.
Ursula von der Leyen
This Cherokee woman received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1983 for her work on housing, healthcare, and children’s programs within Native American reservations. She was the first woman elected Deputy Chief and Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
Wilma Mankiller