Social Justice & Activism
Known as the "Feminist Folk Hero," this U.S. Supreme Court Justice spent all of her career challenging laws that discriminated based on gender and was a co-founder of the Women's Rights Project of ACLU.
Who is Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG)?
This woman's story was recently brought to light in the 2017 movie Hidden Figures. She discovered the exact paths for the Freedom 7 spacecraft to enter space and the Apollo 11 moon landing mission.
Who is Katherine Johnson?
This tennis legend has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most of any player in the Open Era.
Who is Serena Williams?
Best known for songs like "Jolene" and "9 to 5," this country singer started as a songwriter before bringing her own songs to life with her voice. In 2004, she was awarded the Living Legend Medal by the U.S. Library of Congress.
Who is Dolly Parton?
This chemist produced the first ground-breaking image of DNA double-helix strand structure, dubbed "Photo 51" in 1951. Her colleague scientists, Watson and Crick, were credited for the discovery.
Who is Rosalind Franklin?
This young activist started advocating for female education in Pakistan at 11 years old. She survived an assassination attempt when she was 15, and at age 17 became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She continues to advocate for female education and gender equality today.
Who is Malala Yousafzai?
This woman became the first American woman to fly into space in 1983.
Who is Sally Ride?
This UFC fighter won in the first round of the first women's fight in UFC History in 2013. She then became the first woman inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018.
Who is Ronda Rousey?
This Mexican painter, known for her self-portraits, often depicted themes of identity and suffering.
Who is Frida Kahlo?
This blues musician was the first to record "Hound Dog" - but the song only became popularized after Elvis Presley covered it.
Who is Big Mama Thornton?
This pioneering activist, often referred to as the "Mother of the Stonewall Riots," was a prominent figure in the LGBTQ+ rights movement and co-founded the Gay Liberation Front and the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR).
Who is Marsha P. Johnson?
This computer scientist was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I and developed the first compiler.
Who is Grace Hopper?
This tennis legend championed equal rights for women in sports. She won the "Battle of the Sexes" match when she defeated Bobby Riggs in 1973. She won 39 Grand Slam Titles in her career, co-founded the Women's Tennis Association, and became the first woman to have a major sports venue named after her.
Who is Billie Jean King (BJK)?
This actress made history in 2014 as the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her role in Orange is the New Black.
Who is Laverne Cox?
Charles Darrow is credited with the creation of the popular board game Monopoly, selling it to the Parker Brothers in 1935 - but this woman created "The Landlord's Game" 30 years earlier, which Monopoly was heavily derived from.
Who is Elizabeth "Lizze" Magie?
This Indigenous leader co-founded the American Indian Movement (AIM) in 1968 to advocate for Native American rights.
Who is Wilma Mankiller?
This marine biologist and environmentalist is credited with writing Silent Spring, which is seen as being the catalyst for the modern environmental movement. One of the Three Sister Bridges in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania was also named after her.
Who Rachel Carson?
This marathon runner famously completed the Boston Marathon in 1967, despite race officials trying to remove her from the course.
Who is Kathrine Switzer?
This American rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer has won 8 Grammy awards (the most of any female rapper), and is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Her debut solo album's lead single, "Doo Wop (That Thing)" was recognized as a Song of the Century.
Who is Lauryn Hill?
In 1868, this woman created a machine that folded and formed flat, square-bottomed brown paper bags. While building the model for her patent, Charles Annan stole the idea and patented it. This woman was able to win the rights back in a lawsuit in 1871.
Who is Margaret Knight?
This abolitionist and suffragist is still the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor. She received Medal of Honor for her surgical work during the Civil War. Considered a "non-conformist" throughout her life, she was often arrested and treated poorly for "dressing like a man."
Who is Dr. Mary Edwards Walker?
This woman became the first professionally employed female electrical engineer in the United States in 1922. She was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2015.
Who is Edith Clarke?
This athlete won 4 NCAA soccer titles and was part of the 1999 World Cup Team. In 2013 she became the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame.
Who is Mia Hamm?
This Russian ballerina is credited with bringing the art of ballet global attention by touring for 20 years across continents in the early 1900s.
Who is Anna Pavlova?
This physicist made fundamental contributions to nuclear fission, but Otto Hahn took most of the credit - and the Nobel Prize.
Who is Lise Meitner?