Women’s History Month Biographies

Here are biographies of some of the modern and historical women celebrated during Women’s History Month. To learn more about any of these impressive women, just click the link.

Historical Movers and Shakers

Mental health nurse Dorothea Dix
Presidential candidate Victoria Woodhull
New Mexico activist Nina Otero-Warren
Reformer Lucretia Mott
Former slave Sojourner Truth
Native guide Sacagawea
Blind and deaf author Helen Keller
Underground Railroad leader Harriet Tubman
Bus rider Rosa Parks
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
Feminist icon Gloria Steinem

Political and News Figures

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor
Attorney General Janet Reno
France’s Marine Le Pen
Attorney General Loretta Lynch
Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm
China’s Jiang Qing
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
Myanmar activist Aung San Suu Kyi
Legal footnote Harriet Miers

Famous Flyers

World-circler Amelia Earhart
Pioneering pilot Bessie Coleman
Atlantic-crosser Beryl Markham
Astronaut Sally Ride
Astronaut Mae C. Jemison

First Ladies

Science and Technology

Radiation expert Marie Curie
Civil War nurse Clara Barton
Birth control pioneer Margaret Sanger
Biologist Rachel Carson
Crimean War nurse Florence Nightingale
Efficiency expert Lillian Gilbreth

Writers

Mystery writer Patricia Highsmith
Children’s author Beverly Cleary
Novelist Emily Brontë
Children’s author Astrid Lindgrena
Children’s author Beatrix Potter
Feminist writer Bell Hooks
Radical feminist philosopher Mary Daly
Political author Ayn Rand
Southern scribe Carson McCullers
Novelist Doris Lessing
Sci-fi writer Octavia Butler
Novelist Eudora Welty
Novelist Annie Proulx
Playwright Aphra Behn
Diarist Anais Nin
TV Screenwriter (Star Trek) D.C. Fontana

Artists

Painter Frida Kahlo
Painter Grandma Moses
Conceptual artist Yoko Ono
Architect Maya Lin
Poet/Musician/Author Patti Smith

Entertainers

TV host Oprah Winfrey
Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald
Jazz singer Erykah Badu
Jazz singer Billie Holiday
Pop singer Madonna
Pop singer Whitney Houston
Jazz crooner Norah Jones
Pop rocker Avril Lavigne
Jazz singer Bessie Smith
Film director Jane Campion
Film documentarian Leni Riefenstahl
Thespian Helen Hayes
Filmmaker Patty Jenkins
Actress Jane Fonda
Actress and singer Barbra Streisand
Actress Sophia Loren
Pop footnote Valerie Solanas

Athletes and Game-Players

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
Basketball player Jackie Stiles
Golfer Nancy Lopez
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

From Early History

Ancient mother Mitochondrial Eve
Biblical figure Eve
Biblical figure Lilith
Legendary ruler the Queen of Sheba
Egyptian ruler Cleopatra

Religious Figures

Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy
Seventh-Day Adventist founder Ellen G. White
Saint and warrior Joan of Arc
Nun and composer Hildegard von Bingen
Christian blogger Rachel Held Evans

Humanitarian nun Mother Teresa

Ready for more? You may also enjoy our list of Black History Month Biographies.

Still haven’t found who you’re looking for? Browse our categories for activists, actors, First Ladies and other roles.

 

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