Teach Your Kids About These 21 Famous Inspirational Women In History
There have been many important women throughout history, although women's history has frequently been neglected or even erased over the centuries.
Women have had significant impacts on society through activism, art, politics, and leadership.
This month we celebrate all the women who fought and still fight for change, no matter how long it takes them, remember those women who used strong words and courageous actions to establish and maintain safe environments for others and themselves.
These women inspire us to be fearless in the pursuit of our dreams, no matter what society may say.
Here are 21 inspiring women from history that all kids should know about:
1. Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross) escaped slavery in 1849 and became a conductor on the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds of slaves to freedom.
She was also a leader in the women's suffrage movement where she campaigned for women's right to vote.
After the Civil War, Tubman worked as a nurse and later as a spy for the Union Army.
In her later years, she helped found the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People).
2. Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks (born Rosa Louise McCauley) was an activist who is best known for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person, which sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
This boycott was one of the first large-scale protests against racial segregation in America and lasted for over a year.
Parks was also an important figure in the Civil Rights Movement, and later became a member of the NAACP.
3. Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth (born Isabella Baumfree) was an abolitionist and women's rights activist.
She gave powerful speeches on behalf of both causes, and is best known for her quote "Ain't I a Woman?"
4. Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist who became famous after she was shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating for girls' education. She has continued to
5. Anne Frank
Anne Frank wrote a diary while in hiding from the Nazis during World War II, which was published after her death and has become one of the most famous Holocaust memoirs.
She was only 15 years old when she died in a concentration camp but her account of life during the Holocaust has been a source of inspiration for many.
6. Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt (born Anna Eleanor Roosevelt) was the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was a powerful advocate for human rights.
She chaired the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, was a leader in the women's rights movement, and helped establish the United Nations.
7. Marie Curie
Marie Curie (born Maria Skłodowska) was a Polish-French physicist and chemist who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the first person to win two Nobel Prizes.
Curie is best known for her work on radioactivity, which she discovered while studying uranium.
8. Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an abolitionist and author who is best known for her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, which helped to fuel the abolitionist movement in America.
9. Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player who won 39 Grand Slam singles titles.
In 1973, she became the first woman to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year.
King is also well-known for her activism in support of women's rights and LGBT rights.
10. Malala Yousafzai:
The youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate, advocate for girls' education.
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist who rose to fame after she was shot in the head by the Taliban for her outspoken support of girls' education.
Yousafzai survived the shooting and has since become an international advocate for girls' education, founding the Malala Fund to help promote education for women and girls around the world.
In 2014, she became the youngest ever Nobel Prize laureate when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at age 17.
11. Maya Angelou:
Maya Angelou was an American poet and civil rights activist who became famous for her autobiographical book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which tells the story of her life up to the age of 17.
Angelou was also a leader in the civil rights movement, working with both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
She has received numerous awards and honours over the course of her career, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
12. Indira Gandhi:
Indira Gandhi was the first female Prime Minister of India, serving from 1966 to 1984.
Gandhi was a leader in the Indian independence movement and is considered to be one of the most influential politicians in Indian history.
As Prime Minister, she oversaw major economic and social changes in India, including the country's transition to a socialist economy.
13. Oprah Winfrey:
Oprah Winfrey is an American media mogul, actress, and philanthropist.
She is best known for her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, which was the highest-rated program of its kind in history, however she has also been successful in business, launching her own television network, OWN.
Winfrey is a powerful advocate for women's rights and has been honoured with numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
She is also one of the richest women in the world and has been honoured with numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
14. Amelia Earhart:
Amelia Earhart was an American aviator who became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1932, she became the first woman to fly solo non-stop from coast to coast in the United States.
Earhart was also a pioneer in the field of aviation, helping to advance the development of women in aviation.
She disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to circumnavigate the world in 1937, and her fate, to this day, remains a mystery.
15. Emmeline Pankhurst:
Emmeline Pankhurst was a British women's rights activist who was instrumental in the women's suffrage movement.
Pankhurst founded the Women's Social and Political Union, which was the most influential women's rights organisation in Britain at the time.
She was also a vocal advocate for women's rights during the early years of the women's liberation movement.
16. Corazon Aquino:
Corazon Aquino was the first female President of the Philippines, serving from 1986 to 1992.
Aquino was a prominent figure in the People Power Revolution, which overthrew Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
As President, she oversaw the restoration of democracy in the Philippines and the country's transition to a capitalist economy.
17. Aung San Suu Kyi:
Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese political activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
She is the leader of the National League for Democracy, and has been imprisoned by the Burmese government on numerous occasions for her activism.
Suu Kyi has received numerous awards and honours throughout her career, including the Nobel Peace Prize and the Sakharov Prize.
18. Gloria Steinem:
Gloria Steinem is an American journalist, feminist, and women's rights activist.
She is best known for her work as a founder of Ms. Magazine, which was the first feminist magazine in the United States.
Steinem has also been a prominent figure in the women's liberation movement and has worked to advance the rights
19. Ruth Bader-Ginsburg:
Ruth Bader-Ginsburg was an American lawyer and Supreme Court justice.
She was best known for her work as a women's rights advocate, arguing several landmark cases before the Supreme Court in favour of gender equality.
Bader-Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and was the second female justice to serve on the court.
20. Hillary Rodham Clinton:
Hillary Rodham Clinton is an American politician and diplomat.
She served as the 67th United States Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, and was a candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination for President of the United States in 2016.
Clinton is the first female nominee of a major political party in the United States, and is the first woman to be elected U.S. Senator from New York.
She is also the author of several books, including It Takes a Village and What Happened.
21. Sally Ride:
Sally Ride was an American astronaut and physicist.
She was the first American woman in space, and the youngest American astronaut to date.
Ride also worked as a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego.
She received numerous awards and honours throughout her career, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Space Medal of Honour.
Wrapping Up:
Every single one of these women made their own unique contributions to society, and they are all excellent role models for your children - teach them about these women's accomplishments and encourage them to be inspired by their stories.
Let your kids know that they can do anything they set their minds to, and that nothing is impossible if they put their heart into it.
Resources:
1. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rosa_Parks_with_Lani_Guinier_at_1993_march_on_Washington.jpg.
2. Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0 - creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
3. Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
4. Luciaroblego, CC BY-SA 4.0 - creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons