Literature
She wrote “Frankenstein” at age 18, a seminal work of Gothic fiction and early science fiction.
Who is Mary Shelley?
The first woman to win a Nobel Prize—and the only person to win in both Physics and Chemistry.
Who is Marie Curie?
She was the Queen of Jhansi who became a symbol of resistance during the 1857 rebellion.
Who is Rani Lakshmibai?
The Mexican painter known for self-portraits blending realism and symbolism; married to Diego Rivera.
Who is Frida Kahlo?
She refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery in 1955, sparking a pivotal boycott.
Who is Rosa Parks?
The author of “Pride and Prejudice,” she published her novels anonymously during her lifetime.
Who is Jane Austen?
The “first computer programmer,” she worked on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine.
Who is Ada Lovelace?
India’s first woman Prime Minister, she served from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 to 1984.
Who is Indira Gandhi?
Known as the “First Lady of Song,” this jazz vocalist’s scat singing and purity of tone influenced generations.
Who is Ella Fitzgerald?
This Pakistani activist won the Nobel Peace Prize at age 17 for advocating girls’ education.
Who is Malala Yousafzai?
This Nobel Prize–winning poet from the U.S. penned “Diving into the Wreck” and was a leading feminist voice.
Who is Adrienne Rich?
The African American mathematician whose calculations were critical to NASA’s early space missions; featured in “Hidden Figures.”
Who is Katherine Johnson?
This social reformer campaigned against child marriage and founded the Arya Mahila Samaj in Pune.
Who is Pandita Ramabai?
A pioneering modern dancer who developed the technique often contrasted with classical ballet; founded a namesake company.
Who is Martha Graham?
Confirmed in 2022, she became the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Who is Ketanji Brown Jackson?
A trailblazing African American novelist and anthropologist, she wrote “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”
Who is Zora Neale Hurston?
This British chemist discovered the structure of penicillin and vitamin B12, earning a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964.
Who is Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin?
A freedom fighter and socialist, she presided over the 1942 Congress session and later became the first woman Governor of an Indian state.
Who is Sucheta Kriplani?
She directed “Nomadland,” becoming the second woman—and first woman of color—to win the Best Director Oscar in 2021.
Who is Chloé Zhao?
She co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909 and later became an editor at its magazine, The Crisis.
Who is Ida B. Wells?
This Indian author’s novel “The God of Small Things” won the 1997 Booker Prize; she is also an activist and essayist.
Who is Arundhati Roy?
Her cancer cells, known as HeLa cells, became the first immortal human cell line, enabling breakthroughs from polio vaccines to cancer research—though they were taken without her consent.
Who is Henrietta Lacks?
Often called the “Nightingale of India” for her poetry and activism, she was the first woman president of the Indian National Congress in 1925.
Who is Sarojini Naidu?
An influential choreographer and activist from India, she popularized Bharatanatyam on the modern stage and founded Kalakshetra.
Who is Rukmini Devi Arundale?
A suffragist and main author of the 19th Amendment’s text, she later became the first woman to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
Who is Alice Paul?