As many thousands of Americans travel to the nation’s capital this weekend to express their support for women’s rights at the Women’s March on Washington, we salute the valuable contributions women make every day — to their communities and the world at large. Click through the photos below for a closer look at 30 remarkable American women whose lives have left lasting legacies in science, politics, sports, business, the arts, and other fields.
Sally Ride (1951–2012)
Sally Ride, the first U.S. woman in space — also the youngest American in space — inspired generations of women who were blown away by the pleasant-seeming, normal-looking and completely brilliant and driven young woman who burst onto the national radar in 1983. She broke one of the toughest glass ceilings there was — and American women loved her for it.
View more from women inspired by Sally Ride
Geraldine Ferraro (1935–2011)
Geraldine Ferraro was the first woman ever nominated for vice president of the United States. Though she and presidential nominee Walter Mondale lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan, she paved the way for women on both sides of the aisle to be taken seriously as presidential candidates.
View Geraldine Ferraro’s obituary
Wilma Mankiller (1945–2010)
The first female chief of the Cherokee Nation, Wilma Mankiller and her administration embarked on infrastructure projects, tripled tribal membership and improved relations with the U.S. government. She also authored a national best-selling autobiography, “Mankiller: A Chief and Her People,” along with many other books.
View Wilma Mankiller’s obituary
Katherine Dunham (1909–2006)
A pioneering dancer and choreographer, Katherine Dunham has been called the “Matriarch and Queen Mother of Black Dance.” During her heyday in the 1940s and ’50s, she pushed boundaries as she toured the world, performing ballets like “Southland” that dramatized the lynching of a black man in the American South.
View Katherine Dunham’s obituary
Susan Butcher (1954–2006)
The first person to win four out of five sequential Iditarod sled dog races, Susan Butcher and her dogs dominated the sport in the late 1980s. She brought national media attention to the grueling race, which covers more than 1,000 miles of Alaskan wilderness and can take 15 days or more to complete.
Betty Friedan (1921–2006)
Author of the landmark book “The Feminine Mystique,” Betty Friedan helped found the National Organization of Women, an organization created to fight for women’s rights in the same way the NAACP fought for the rights of Black people.
Rosa Parks (1913–2005)
Rosa Parks is affectionately known as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement” for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man, thus sparking the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott. Not simply a “tired” seamstress, as she is often portrayed, at the time of her civil protest she was secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the NAACP and had recently attended the Highlander Folk School (an education center that focused on racial equality and workers rights).
View more people inspired by Rosa Parks
Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005)
An outspoken champion of women and minorities during seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman elected to Congress and the first black person to seek a major party’s nomination for president of the United States.
View Shirley Chisholm’s obituary
Julia Child (1912–2004)
As America’s first celebrity chef, Julia Child popularized the television cooking show, hosting “The French Chef” from 1963-73 on the Public Broadcasting Service. Her distinctive voice and good-natured humor introduced many in the U.S. to the joys of cooking delicious French food in their own kitchens.
Estée Lauder (1906–2004)
From humble beginnings, makeup maven Estée Lauder rose through hard work, perseverance and determination to the top of the business world. In 1998 she was named one of Time magazine’s 20 most-influential business geniuses of the 20th century.
Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003)
One of the most distinctive stars of classic Hollywood, Katharine Hepburn started her film career in 1932 with “A Bill of Divorcement.” To date, Hepburn remains the only person to have received four Academy Awards for acting. In 1999, the American Film Institute named her the greatest screen actress in cinema history.
Read Katharine Hepburn’s obituary
Katharine Graham (1917–2001)
Newspaper publisher Katharine Graham led the Washington Post for more than two decades, including through the Watergate scandal. The Post’s coverage of Watergate eventually led to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon.
Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996)
Ella Fitzgerald was known as the “First Lady of Song,” the “Queen of Jazz” and “Lady Ella.” Her 70-plus albums sold more than 40 million copies and she received numerous awards and honors, including 13 Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
View Ella Fitzgerald’s obituary
Marian Anderson (1897–1993)
Marian Anderson is one of the most celebrated singers of the 20th century. After the Daughters of the American Revolution refused permission for Anderson to sing to an integrated audience in their Constitution Hall, Eleanor Roosevelt arranged for her to perform an open-air concert at the Lincoln Memorial. More than 75,000 attended and millions more listened via radio.
Grace Hopper (1906–1992)
Nicknamed “Amazing Grace” for her many accomplishments, Grace Hopper was a pioneering computer scientist and a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy. She helped develop the UNIVAC computer, was instrumental in the development of early programming languages such as COBOL, and even coined the term “debugging” after a moth became stuck in the computer’s relay.
View women inspired by Grace Hopper
Lucille Ball (1911–1989)
Best known for her zany comedy, Lucille Ball was also the first woman to head a television production company, Desilu. “Star Trek” and “Mission Impossible” are just two of the successful and popular series that Desilu produced under Ball’s leadership.
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986)
Painter Georgia O’Keeffe is widely regarded as the “Mother of American Modernism.” Her work first came to the attention of the art community in New York in 1916, and by the mid-1920s she was considered one of the most-important American artists.
Mary Pickford (1892–1979)
Oscar-winning actress Mary Pickford co-founded film studio United Artists and also helped found the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Though she was born in Canada, she is called “America’s sweetheart” and is regarded as one of the most important performers and producers of the silent-film era.
Helen Keller (1880–1968)
Blind and deaf from the time she was a toddler, Helen Keller, seen here with actress Patty Duke (1946–2016) who portrayed her on Broadway and film in “The Miracle Worker,” overcame many obstacles to change common perceptions of what a person with disabilities could achieve. She remains one of America’s most-inspiring women.
Rachel Carson (1907–1964)
With her 1962 book “Silent Spring,” Rachel Carson sounded the alarm about pesticide use — connecting it to the deaths of animals and birds, and even humans — and advocated for much more responsible use of pesticides, especially the then-common DDT.
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)
Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the most-admired first ladies of all time. She used her enormous influence to help form the United Nations, advance human rights, launch second-wave feminism, and much more.
View Eleanor Roosevelt’s obituary
Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960)
Zora Neale Hurston is viewed as one of the most important black writers of the 20th century. An anthropologist who collected African-American folklore, Hurston was a mainstay of the Harlem Renaissance literary scene. Though she was unable to make a living as a writer, her novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” is now hailed as a classic of American literature.
View Zora Neale Hurston’s obituary
Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1911–1956)
Babe Didrikson Zaharias achieved phenomenal success in multiple sports and consistently ranks as one of the greatest athletes of all time — male or female. She excelled in track and field, winning two Olympic gold medals and setting multiple world records. She later became the first (and, to date, still the only) woman to make the cut in a regular PGA Tour event.
View more about athletes Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Lottie Dod
Amelia Earhart (1897–1937)
As the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, Amelia Earhart has achieved legendary status in American history. Ever since her mysterious disappearance more than 75 years ago in her quest to circumnavigate the globe, generations have been inspired by her intrepid life … and enjoyed speculating about her fate.
View more about Amelia Earhart’s mysterious disappearance
Jane Addams (1860–1935)
Jane Addams was a trailblazing feminist, pacifist, and social reformer who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of the poor in Chicago. An outspoken advocate of women and children, Addams co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union in 1920, a year after founding the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. In 1931 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the second woman and first American woman to be so honored.
Annie Oakley (1860–1926)
Annie Oakley was an exhibition shooter who had a starring role in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. She is considered the first American female superstar and used her fame to educate other women in the use of firearms for recreation and self-defense.
Elizabeth Cochran Seaman (1864–1922) aka Nellie Bly
Elizabeth Cochran Seaman aka Nellie Bly was a pioneer of investigative journalism who once faked insanity in order to write a mental institution exposé. She also gained fame for recreating Jules Verne’s fictional adventure “Around the World in 80 Days,” completing her trip around the globe in just 72 days.
Harriet Tubman (1820–1913)
Harriet Tubman was a legend in her own time, escaping from slavery and returning to rescue dozens of other slaves as a “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. Though she was widely known and admired during her lifetime, she was often poor, even penniless.
View 10 facts about the life of Harriet Tubman
Clara Barton (1821–1912)
“Battlefield Angel” Clara Barton worked on the front lines of the Civil War to tend injured soldiers and maintain Army hospitals. She went on to found the American Red Cross, now one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the U.S.
Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906)
Susan B. Anthony was a leader in the women’s suffrage movement, but she wasn’t a single-issue activist. Less famous, but no less important to her, was her work promoting stronger liquor laws through the temperance movement. As she worked on this issue, it helped shape and inform her later involvement in other social-reform movements like women’s suffrage.
View Susan B. Anthony’s obituary
