Women's History Month
The United States has officially encouraged the appreciation of women's history since a 1980 proclamation by President Jimmy Carter. In 1992, the month of March was officially designated Women's History Month in a proclamation by President George Bush the elder. In tribute, here are biographies for some of the all-time great women we celebrate during Women's History Month.
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From Early History
Ancient human Arlington Springs Woman
Ancient mother Mitochondrial Eve
Biblical figure Eve
Biblical figure Lilith
Legendary ruler the Queen of Sheba
Egyptian ruler Cleopatra
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Historical Movers and Shakers
Native guide Sacagawea
Feminist Susan B. Anthony
Mental health nurse Dorothea Dix
Presidential candidate Victoria Woodhull
Writer Julia Ward Howe
Activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Reformer Lucretia Mott
Former slave Sojourner Truth
Blind and deaf author Helen Keller
Underground Railroad leader Harriet Tubman
Bus rider Rosa Parks
Teacher Maria Montessori
Queen Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Catherine of Aragon
Long-lived Queen Victoria
Feisty queen Eleanor of Aquitane
Queen wannabe Lady Jane Grey
The late Princess Diana
Argentine icon Evita Peron
Taiwan First Lady Madame Chiang Kai-shek
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Philippine tyrant Imelda Marcos
Indian leader Indira Gandhi
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Political and News Figures
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Attorney General Janet Reno
Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm
Senator Elizabeth Dole
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
Myanmar activist Aung San Suu Kyi
Judge Edith Brown Clement
Legal footnote Harriet Miers
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Science and Technology
Radiation expert Marie Curie
Doctor Elizabeth Blackwell
Civil War nurse Clara Barton
Birth control pioneer Margaret Sanger
Biologist Rachel Carson
Crimean War nurse Florence Nightingale
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Writers
Political author Ayn Rand
Poet Anne Bradstreet
Poet Maya Angelou
Mystery writer Patricia Highsmith
Children's author Beverly Cleary
Poet Alice Walker
Poet Emily Dickinson
Novelist Emily Brontë
Children's author Astrid Lindgren
Children's author Beatrix Potter
Feminist writer Bell Hooks
Radical feminist philosopher Mary Daly
Novelist Barbara Kingsolver
Southern scribe Carson McCullers
Novelist Doris Lessing
Sci-fi writer Octavia Butler
Novelist Eudora Welty
Novelist Annie Proulx
Playwright Aphra Behn
Diarist Anais Nin
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Famous Flyers
World-circler Amelia Earhart
Pioneering pilot Bessie Coleman
Atlantic-crosser Beryl Markham
Astronaut Sally Ride
Astronaut Mae C. Jemison
Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova
Astronaut Christa McAuliffe
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Artists
Painter Frida Kahlo
Painter Grandma Moses
Painter Georgia O'Keeffe
Architect Maya Lin
Conceptual artist Yoko Ono
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Entertainers
Pop singer Madonna
Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald
Jazz singer Billie Holiday
Rocker Chrissie Hynde
Pop singer Whitney Houston
Jazz crooner Norah Jones
Pop rocker Avril Lavigne
Jazz singer Bessie Smith
TV host Oprah Winfrey
Film director Jane Campion
Documentarian Leni Riefenstahl
Actress Helen Hayes
Actress Katharine Hepburn
Actress Jane Fonda
Actress Barbra Streisand
Actress Barbara Stanwyck
Actress Catherine Deneuve
Actress Sophia Loren
Pop footnote Valerie Solanas
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Athletes and Game-Players
Golfer Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Chess champ Alexandra Kosteniuk
Tennis player Margaret Smith Court
Tennis player Billie Jean King
Olympic sprinter Wilma Rudolph
Tennis player Martina Navratilova
Golfer Michelle Wie
Gymnast Nadia Comaneci
Gymnast Mary Lou Retton
Golfer Annika Sorenstam
Basketball player Jackie Stiles
Golfer Nancy Lopez
Golfer Natalie Gulbis
Ice skater Katarina Witt
Ice skater Michelle Kwan
Ice skater Sarah Hughes
Ice skater Sonja Henie
Ice skater Sasha Cohen
Basketball player Sheryl Swoopes
Basketball player Rebecca Lobo
Wimbledon winner Althea Gibson
Auto racer Danica Patrick
Drag racer Shirley Muldowny
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Religious Figures
Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy
Seventh-Day Adventist founder Ellen G. White
Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson
Atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair
Saint Bernadette Soubirous
Saint and warrior Joan of Arc
Nun and composer Hildegard von Bingen
Humanitarian nun Mother Teresa
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