Social Justice & Activism
This suffragist was arrested in 1872 for voting in the presidential election and later became the face of the U.S. dollar coin.
Who is Susan B. Anthony?
Her story was recently brought to light in 2017 movie Hidden Figures. She discovered the exact paths for 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 deciding to bring her own songs to life. She is one on the few to receive at least one nomination from all four major American Entertainment. In 2004, she was awarded the Living Legend Award.
Who is Dolly Parton?
This chemist produced the first ground-breaking image of DNA double-helix strand structure, dubbed "Photo 51" in 1951 - but her colleague scientists, Watson and Crick, were credited for the discovery.
Who is Rosalind Franklin?
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 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?
Best known for being an actress, this woman should also be credited with the invention of wireless communication. During WW2 she worked to create "frequency hopping" that prevented bugging radios. The U.S. Navy ignored her patent but used her work to create new technologies. She was finally recognized in 2000 with the Electronic Frontier Foundation Award.
Who is Hedy Lamarr?
This young activist started advocating for female education in Pakistan at 11. She survived an assassination attempt at 15 and at 17 became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Price. She continues to advocate for female education and gender equality today.
Who is Malala Yousafzai?
This computer scientist was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I and developed the first compiler.
Who is Grace Hopper?
Tennis legend who championed equal rights for women in sprots. She won the "Battle of the Sexes" match when she defeated Bobby Riggs in the 1973 match. She won 39 Grand Slam Titles in her career, co-founded the Women's Tennis Association, and become the first woman to have major sports venue named after her.
Who is Billie Jean King (BJK)?
This Gothic Fiction writer is recognized as one of the early creators of science fiction. She spend much of her life editing and promoting her husband's work but still wrote fiction, best known being Frankenstein.
Who is Mary Shelley?
Charles Darrow is often credited with the creation of Monopoly, selling it to Parker Brothers in 1935. However this woman created "The Landlord's Game" 30 years earlier that Monopoly was derived from.
Who is Elizabeth "Lizze" Magie?
This woman 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." She was an abolitionist, fought against the "norm," and for women's suffrage and rights.
Who is Dr. Mary Edwards Walker?
This marine biologist and environmentalist is credited with writing Silent Spring which is seen 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 Indigenous leader co-founded the American Indian Movement (AIM) in 1968 to advocate for Native American rights.
Who is Wilma Mankiller?
This woman became the first professionally employed female electrical engineer in the United States in 1922. She was inducted in the 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 ballet global 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?