Especially many proponents of feminism have argued that the achievements of women have been insufficiently represented in works of history up through the 20th century. Therefore, many historians and especially those who concentrate on women's studies have drawn attention to women who can be considered historically significant.
Rulers, consorts, heads of state:
- Queen Elizabeth II (United Kingdom)
- Hatshepsut of Egypt, (c. 1504 BC-1458 BC), (Egypt)
- Arsinoe II of Egypt (Egypt)
- Cleopatra VII of Egypt, (69 BC-30 BC), (Egypt)
- Boudicca (England)
- Zenobia (Palmyra)
- Theodora, Byzantine empress
- Zoe, Byzantine empress
- Irene, Byzantine empress
- Theodora, Byzantine empress
- Eudocia Macrembolitissa, Byzantine empress
- Maria of Antioch, Byzantine empress
- Wu Zetian, Empress of China
- Adela of Normandy, wife of crusader Stephen of Blois
- Morphia of Melitene, Queen of Jerusalem
- Melisende of Jerusalem, Queen of Jerusalem, and her sisters Alice of Antioch, Hodierna of Tripoli, and Ioveta of Bethany
- Agnes of Courtenay, Queen of Jerusalem
- Maria Comnena, Queen of Jerusalem
- Sibylla of Jerusalem, Queen of Jerusalem
- Isabella of Jerusalem, Queen of Jerusalem
- Yolande of Jerusalem, Queen of Jerusalem
- Constance of Antioch, Princess of Antioch
- Yolanda of Flanders, Latin empress
- Isabella of Spain, (1451-1504)
- Eleonora di Arborea (Sardinia)
- Margaret I of Denmark and Norway, (1353-1412)
- Eleanor of Aquitaine, (died 1204), (France)
- Catherine de Medici, (1519-1589), (France)
- Jeanne d'Albret, (1572-1572), (France)
- Diane de Poitiers, (1499-1566), France
- Gabrielle d'Estrée, (1571-1599), (France)
- Agnès Sorel, (1421-1450), (France)
- Anne of Austria (France)
- Marguerite de Valois (France)
- Mary I of England, (1553-1558), (England) - (Bloody Mary)
- Mary, Queen of Scots, (1542-1587), (Scotland)
- Maria Theresa of Austria, (1717-1780), (Austria)
- Anna I of Russia (Anna I) (Russia)
- Catherine I of Russia, (1684-1727), (Russia)
- Catherine II of Russia, (1729-1796), (Russia) - (Catherine the Great)
- Elizabeth of Russia, (died 1762), (Russia)
- Christina of Sweden, (died 1689)
- Elizabeth I of England, (1558-1603)
- Queen Anne, (1665-1714)
- Mary II, (1662-1694), (Great Britain)
- Queen Victoria (United Kingdom)
- Anne Neville, (1456-1485), (England))
- Catherine of Valois (England)
- Diana, Princess of Wales, (1961-1997), (United Kingdom)
- Elizabeth Woodville (England)
- Margaret of Anjou (England)
- Mary of Teck, (1867-1953), (United Kingdom)
- Aleksandra Lisowska (Khourrem) (1510 - 1558), (Ottoman Empire/Poland)
- Marie Antoinette, (1755-1793), (France)
Politicians, political figures
- Madeleine Albright, (born 1937), – United States
- Corazon Aquino, (born 1933), – Philippines
- Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, (1879-1964), – United Kingdom
- Aung San Suu Kyi, (born 1945), – Myanmar
- Cherie K. Berry, – United States
- Benazir Bhutto, (born 1953), – Pakistan
- Gro Harlem Brundtland, (born 1939), – Norway
- Kim Campbell, (born 1947), 1st female prime minister of Canada
- Maria Cantwell, (born 1958), – United States
- Hattie Caraway, (1878-1950), 1st woman elected to US Senate
- Sarah Churchill
- Tansu Çiller, (born 1946), 1st female prime minister of Turkey
- Helen Clark, (born 1950)
- Elisabeth Domitien, (born 1926), 1st female prime minister of an African country
- Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, (born 1930), – Iceland
- Indira Gandhi, (1917-1984), – India
- Sonia Gandhi – India
- Tarja Halonen, (born 1943), – Finland
- Petra Kelly, (1947-1992), (Germany)
- Alexandra Kollontai – Soviet Union
- Blanche Lambert Lincoln, (born 1960), – United States
- Constance Markiewicz (née Gore-Booth) (1868-1927) - Ireland
- Golda Meir, (1898-1978), – Israel
- Eva Perón, (1919-1952), – Argentina
- Maria de Lurdes Pintasilgo, (1930-2004), – Portugal
- Janet Reno, (born 1938), – United States
- Condoleezza Rice (born 1954), United States
- Mary Robinson, (1990-1997), Ireland
- Eleanor Roosevelt, (1884-1962), United States
- Margaret Chase Smith, (1897-1995), – US congresswoman
- Debbie Stabenow, (born 1950), – United States
- Margaret Thatcher, (born 1925), – United Kingdom
- The Valiant Five – Canadian politicians and activists
Activists and revolutionaries
- Rani_Lakshmi_Bai(1835 - 1858) India Killed in battle as she led an Indian mutiny against the British. She was 22 years old. to our rani (http://www.ranijhansi.com)
- Susan B. Anthony, (1820-1906), – United States
- Annie Besant, (1847-1933) – United Kingdom
- Marguerite Durand (1864-1936) - France
- Millicent Fawcett, (1847-1929) – United Kingdom
- Emma Goldman, (1869-1940)
- Rosa Luxemburg, (1871-1919), – Germany
- Rigoberta Menchú, (born 1959) - Guatemala
- Louise Michel, 1830-1905 - France
- Lucretia Mott, (1793-1880) – United States
- Madalyn Murray O'Hair – United States
- Christabel Pankhurst – United Kingdom
- Emmeline Pankhurst, (1858-1928), – United Kingdom
- Sylvia Pankhurst, (1882-1960), United Kingdom
- Rosa Parks, (born 1913), – United States
- Margaret Sanger, (1879-1966) – United States
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton, (1815-1902) – United States
- Gloria Steinem, (born 1935) – United States
- Jessie Street, (1889-1970) Australia Human rights campaigner.
- Flora Tristan, (1803-1844)
- Sojourner Truth, (1797?-1883) – United States
- Tončka Čeč, (1896-1943), Slovene national heroine
Artists, writers, poets
- Emma Abbott, (1849-1891)
- Anna Akhmatova, (1889-1966), (poet)
- Isabel Allende, (born 1942), (writer)
- Jane Austen, (1775-1817), (writer)
- Margaret Atwood, (born 1939), (writer)
- Mary Cassatt, (1844-1926), (painter)
- Anna Comnena, (writer)
- Alexandra David-Néel, (1868-1969)
- Régine Deforges (writer, 1st woman in France to own a Publishing company)
- Grazia Deledda, (1871-1936), (writer, Nobel prize)
- Karen Blixen, (1885-1962), (writer)
- Marguerite Duras (1914-1996)
- George Eliot, (1819-1880), (writer)
- Ninon de lEnclos
- Marie de France (troubador)
- Veronica Franco, (1546-1591), (poet)
- Artemisia Gentileschi, (1593-1651), (painter)
- Nina Hamnett, (1890-1956), painter, designer
- Zora Neale Hurston, (1891-1960), (writer)
- Elfriede Jelinek, (born 1946) (writer, Nobel Prize)
- Clarice Lispector, (1920-1977), (writer)
- Toni Morrison, (born 1931), (writer, Nobel prize)
- Ouida, (1839-1908), (writer; a.k.a. Marie Louise de la Ramee)
- Georgia O'Keeffe,(1887-1986), (painter)
- Mary Pickford, (1892-1979), actress, co-founder of United Artists
- Christine de Pizan, (circa 1365-circa 1430), (writer)
- Ayn Rand, (1905-1982), (writer)
- Sappho (poet)
- Nathalie Sarraute (1900-1999), writer
- Murasaki Shikibu, (973?-1025?), (writer)
- Gertrude Stein, (1874-1946), (writer)
- Theano (writer, philosopher)
- Marina Tsvetaeva, (1892-1941),(poet)
- Suzanne Valadon, (1865-1938), painter
- Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, (1755-1842), painter
- Edna St. Vincent Millay, (1892-1950)
- Phillis Wheatley, (1753-1784), (poet)
- Virginia Woolf, (1882-1941), (author)
Aviation and space exploration
Scientists and mathematicians
- Hypatia of Alexandria, (died 415), (mathematician)
- Ruth Benedict, (anthropologist)
- Ada Byron, (1815-1852), Countess Lovelace
- Emilie du Chatelet, (1706-1749), studied with Voltaire
- Maria Skłodowska-Curie (Nobel prize)
- Irene Joliot-Curie, (1897-1956), (physicist)
- Dian Fossey, (1932-1985), (biology)
- Rosalind Franklin, (1920-1958), (DNA)
- Sophie Germain, (1776-1831), (mathematician)
- Dorothy Hodgkin (chemist)
- Grace Hopper, (1906-1992), (computer programmer)
- Sofia Vasilyevna Kovalevskaya - (1850-1891), (mathematician)
- Margaret Mead, (1901-1978), (anthropologist)
- Lise Meitner, (1878-1968), (physicist)
- Emmy Noether, (1882-1935), (mathematician)
- Helen Sawyer Hogg
- Maria Mayer
Medical notables
- Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (physician)
- Virginia Apgar, (1909-1974), (physician)
- Clara Barton, (1821-1912), (nurse, activist)
- Elizabeth Blackwell, (1821-1910), (physician)
- Jane Delano (1862-1919), founder of the American Red Cross Nursing Service
- Dorothea Dix, (1802-1887)
- Mary Corinna Putnam Jacobi (1842-1906), (physician)
- Anna Maxwell, (1851-1929), (nurse, author)
- Florence Nightingale, (1820-1910), (nurse)
- Sally Louisa Tompkins, (nurse)
- Jennie Kidd Trout, (1841-1921), first licensed woman physician in Canada in 1875.
- Mary Edwards Walker, (1832-1919), (1st female U.S Army surgeon, only female ever awarded the Medal of Honor, activist)
Musicians and singers
- Martha Argerich, *1941
- Josephine Baker, (1906-1975)
- Maria Callas, (1923-1977)
- Ella Fitzgerald, (1918-1996)
- Aretha Franklin, (born 1942)
- Sofia Gubaidulina, *1931
- Billie Holiday, (1915-1959)
- Mahalia Jackson, (1911-1972)
- Janis Joplin, (1943-1970)
- Miriam Makeba
- Fanny Mendelssohn, (1805-1847)
- Joni Mitchell, (born 1943)
- Alanis Morissette, (born 1974)
- Edith Piaf, (1915-1963)
- Clara Schumann, (1819-1896)
- Bessie Smith, (1894-1937)
- Patti Smith
- Lucinda Williams
- Sheryl Crow (born 1962)
- Tori Amos
- Björk (born 1965)
Outlaws, pirates, and criminals
Religious figures
Soldiers, agents, spies
- Sikelgaita (1040-1090), wife of Robert Guiscard
- Joan of Arc (1412-1431), military leader
- Denise Bloch (1915-1945), SOE agent
- Edith Cavell (1865-1915), World War I heroine
- Julia Child (born 1912), chef
- Tomoe Gozen, (original, not fictitious)
- Mata Hari (1876-1917), (spy)
- Marina Raskova (1912-1943), Russian aviator in World War II
- Odette Sansom (1912-1995), SOE agent
- Hannah Szenes (1921-1944), SOE agent
- Countess Krystyna Skarbek (1915-1952), SOE agent
- Violette Szabo (1921-1945), SOE agent
- Harriet Tubman, (1820-1913), rebel, spy, activist
- Nancy Wake, (born 1912), most decorated Allied servicewoman of WW II
Movie directors
Famous actors
- Lucille Ball, (1911-1989)
- Tallulah Bankhead, (1902-1968)
- Ingrid Bergman, (1915-1982)
- Sarah Bernhardt, (1844-1923)
- Bette Davis, (1908-1989)
- Judy Dench (born 1934)
- Catherine Deneuve (born 1943)
- Mia Farrow, (1945-1963)
- Jodie Foster, (born 1962)
- Greta Garbo, (1905-1990)
- Ava Gardner, (1922-1990)
- Katharine Hepburn, (born 1907)
- Helen Hunt, (born 1963)
- May Irwin (1862-1938)
- Grace Kelly, (1929-1982)
- Nicole Kidman, (born 1967)
- Vivien Leigh, (1913-1967)
- Sophia Loren, (born 1934)
- Marilyn Monroe, (1926-1962)
- Mary Pickford, (1892-1979)
- Isabella Rossellini, (born 1952)
- Lillian Russell (1861-1922)
- Meryl Streep, (born 1949)
- Julie Andrews
- Reese Witherspoon, (born 1976)
- See list List of female actors
Sportswomen
- Laila Ali, (born 1977)
- Fanny Blankers-Koen, (1918-2004)
- Nadia Comaneci, (born 1961)
- Dawn Fraser, (born 1937)
- Delia Gonzalez, (born 1970)
- Steffi Graf, (born 1969)
- Dorothy Hamill, (born 1956)
- Mia Hamm, (born 1972)
- Sonja Henie, (1912-1969)
- Eliska Junkova, (1900-1994)
- Jackie Joyner-Kersee, (born 1962)
- Billie Jean King, (born 1943)
- Larissa Latynina, (born 1934)
- Suzanne Lenglen, (1899-1938)
- Rebecca Lobo, (born 1973)
- Jeannie Longo, (born 1958)
- Ellen MacArthur,(born 1976)
- Christy Martin, (born 1968)
- Shirley Muldowney, (born 1940)
- Martina Navratilova, (born 1956)
- Hellé Nice, (1900-1984)
- Rebecca Rodriguez
- Laura Serrano, (born 1967)
- Katarina Witt, (born 1965)
- Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias, (died 1956)
Other
- Gladys Aylward (missionary)
- Olave Baden-Powell, (1889-1977), Chief Girl Guide of the World
- James Barry, (1795?-1865), Victorian lady who worked as a male physician
- Dorothea Beale (pioneer of women's education)
- Margaret Bourke-White, (born 1906)
- Frances Buss (pioneer of women's education)
- Coco Chanel, (1883-1971), (fashion designer)
- Elfi von Dassanowsky, (born 1924), (film studio founder, producer, musician)
- Lillian Hellman, (1905-1984)
- Helen Keller, (1880-1968)
- Melanie Klein, (1882-1960), (psychoanalyst)
- Kathleen Kenyon, (1906-1978), (archaeologist)
- Maria Montessori, (1870-1952)
- Julia Morgan, (architect)
- Emily Warren Roebling (engineer)
- Billy Tipton, (1914-1989), (musician)
- Margaret Mead, (born 1901)
See also
External links
