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Women in History historical figures

Explore historical figures known as Women in History. Read concise biographies, learn key facts, and play a quiz focused on this collection.

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97 figures

Marble bust identified as Cleopatra VII

Cleopatra VII

Egypt · 69–30 BCE

Pharaoh & diplomat

Historical portrait of Wu Zetian

Wu Zetian

China · 624–705

Empress regnant

Portrait of Marie Curie

Marie Curie

Poland · 1867–1934

Physicist & chemist

Portrait photograph of Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo

Mexico · 1907–1954

Painter

Portrait of Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman

United States · c. 1822–1913

Abolitionist & humanitarian

Portrait of Te Puea Hērangi

Te Puea Hērangi

New Zealand · 1883–1952

Māori leader

Medieval miniature depicting Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc

France · 1412–1431

Military leader & saint

Painted portrait of Catherine the Great

Catherine the Great

Russia · 1729–1796

Empress of Russia

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I

United Kingdom · 1533–1603

Queen of England

Portrait of Golda Meir

Golda Meir

Israel · 1898–1978

Prime Minister of Israel

Portrait of Benazir Bhutto

Benazir Bhutto

Pakistan · 1953–2007

Prime Minister of Pakistan

Color portrait of Eva Perón

Eva Perón

Argentina · 1919–1952

First Lady of Argentina

Portrait of Susan B. Anthony

Susan B. Anthony

United States · 1820–1906

Social reformer & suffragist

Historical illustration of Queen Nzinga

Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba

Angola · c. 1583–1663

Queen of Ndongo and Matamba

Ancient seated statue of Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut

Egypt · c. 1507–1458 BCE

Pharaoh of Egypt

Portrait of Kate Sheppard

Kate Sheppard

New Zealand · 1848–1934

Suffragist

Photographic portrait of Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria

United Kingdom · 1819–1901

Queen of the United Kingdom

Official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II

United Kingdom · 1926–2022

Queen of the United Kingdom

Painted portrait of Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette

France · 1755–1793

Queen of France

Seated portrait of Emmeline Pankhurst

Emmeline Pankhurst

United Kingdom · 1858–1928

Suffragette leader

Daguerreotype portrait of Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace

United Kingdom · 1815–1852

Mathematician & writer

Photograph of Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar · born 1945

Politician & Nobel laureate

Statue of Grace O'Malley (Gráinne Mhaol)

Grace O'Malley

Ireland · c. 1530–c. 1603

Irish chieftain and seafarer

Portrait of Isabel Allende

Isabel Allende

Chile · born 1942

Novelist

Portrait of Rigoberta Menchú

Rigoberta Menchú

Guatemala · born 1959

Human rights activist

Depiction of Sacagawea with the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Sacagawea

United States · c. 1788–1812

Guide and interpreter

Portrait of Simone de Beauvoir

Simone de Beauvoir

France · 1908–1986

Philosopher and writer

Photograph of Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall

United Kingdom · 1934–2025

Primatologist

Portrait of Rosalind Franklin

Rosalind Franklin

United Kingdom · 1920–1958

X-ray crystallographer

Portrait of Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Wollstonecraft

United Kingdom · 1759–1797

Writer and philosopher

Portrait of Katherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson

United States · 1918–2020

Mathematician

Statue of Yaa Asantewaa at the Yaa Asantewaa Museum in Ejisu, Ghana

Yaa Asantewaa

Ghana · c. 1840–1921

Ashanti queen mother and military leader

Portrait of Umm Kulthum

Umm Kulthum

Egypt · 1904–1975

Singer and actress

Photograph of Édith Piaf

Édith Piaf

France · 1915–1963

Singer

Photograph of Nadia Comăneci

Nadia Comăneci

Romania · born 1961

Gymnast

Photograph of Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker

France · 1906–1975

Entertainer and French Resistance member

Photograph of Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald

United States · 1917–1996

Jazz vocalist

Photograph of Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

United States · 1942–2018

Singer and songwriter

Photograph of Celia Cruz

Celia Cruz

Cuba · 1925–2003

Singer

Photograph of Miriam Makeba

Miriam Makeba

South Africa · 1932–2008

Singer and activist

Portrait of Grace Hopper

Grace Hopper

United States · 1906–1992

Computer scientist and naval officer

Portrait of Corazon Aquino

Corazon Aquino

Philippines · 1933–2009

President of the Philippines

Historical portrait of Nur Jahan

Nur Jahan

India · 1577–1645

Mughal empress

Historical portrait of Rani Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi

Rani Lakshmibai

India · c. 1828–1858

Queen of Jhansi

Historical portrait of Queen Ranavalona I of Madagascar

Ranavalona I

Madagascar · 1778–1861

Queen of Madagascar

Photograph of Barbara McClintock in her laboratory

Barbara McClintock

United States · 1902–1992

Cytogeneticist

Photograph of Nina Simone

Nina Simone

United States · 1933–2003

Singer, pianist, and civil rights activist

Photograph of Maria Callas

Maria Callas

Greece · 1923–1977

Opera singer

Photograph of Anna Pavlova as the Dying Swan

Anna Pavlova

Russia · 1881–1931

Ballet dancer

Portrait of Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai

Pakistan · born 1997

Education activist

Photograph of Wangari Maathai

Wangari Maathai

Kenya · 1940–2011

Environmental activist

Photograph of Shirin Ebadi

Shirin Ebadi

Iran · born 1947

Lawyer and human rights activist

Photograph of Leymah Gbowee

Leymah Gbowee

Liberia · born 1972

Peace activist

Photograph of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Liberia · born 1938

President of Liberia

Photograph of Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Babe Didrikson Zaharias

United States · 1911–1956

Multi-sport athlete

Photograph of Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka

Japan · born 1997

Tennis player

Photograph of Coco Chanel

Coco Chanel

France · 1883–1971

Fashion designer

Photograph of Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid

United Kingdom · 1950–2016

Architect

Portrait of Jane Austen

Jane Austen

United Kingdom · 1775–1817

Novelist

Photograph of Virginia Woolf

Virginia Woolf

United Kingdom · 1882–1941

Writer

Photograph of Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison

United States · 1931–2019

Novelist and editor

Depiction of Kurmanjan Datka on Kyrgyzstan's currency

Kurmanjan Datka

Kyrgyzstan · 1811–1907

Tribal leader

Photograph of Kiri Te Kanawa

Kiri Te Kanawa

New Zealand · born 1944

Opera singer

Photograph of Whina Cooper

Whina Cooper

New Zealand · 1895–1994

Māori rights leader

Official portrait of Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard

Australia · born 1961

Prime Minister of Australia

Photograph of Chien-Shiung Wu

Chien-Shiung Wu

China · 1912–1997

Physicist

Photograph of Dorothy Hodgkin

Dorothy Hodgkin

United Kingdom · 1910–1994

Chemist

Photograph of Emmy Noether

Emmy Noether

Germany · 1882–1935

Mathematician

Photograph of Hedy Lamarr

Hedy Lamarr

Austria · 1914–2000

Actress and inventor

Photograph of Lise Meitner

Lise Meitner

Austria · 1878–1968

Nuclear physicist

Photograph of Mae Jemison

Mae Jemison

United States · born 1956

Astronaut and physician

Photograph of Megawati Sukarnoputri

Megawati Sukarnoputri

Indonesia · born 1947

President of Indonesia

Passport photograph of Anne Frank

Anne Frank

Netherlands · 1929–1945

Diarist and Holocaust victim

Photograph of Corrie ten Boom

Corrie ten Boom

Netherlands · 1892–1983

Resistance member and writer

Photograph of Sophie Scholl

Sophie Scholl

Germany · 1921–1943

Anti-Nazi student activist

Photograph of Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Jocelyn Bell Burnell

United Kingdom · 1943–

Astrophysicist

Photograph of Vera Rubin

Vera Rubin

United States · 1928–2016

Astronomer

Photograph of Katherine Freese

Katherine Freese

United States · 1957–

Theoretical physicist

Photograph of Sally Ride in astronaut uniform

Sally Ride

United States · 1951–2012

Astronaut & physicist

Photograph of Valentina Tereshkova

Valentina Tereshkova

Russia · 1937–

Cosmonaut

Photograph of Svetlana Savitskaya

Svetlana Savitskaya

Russia · 1948–

Cosmonaut & aviator

Official portrait of Peggy Whitson

Peggy Whitson

United States · 1960–

Astronaut & biochemist

Official NASA portrait of Christa McAuliffe

Christa McAuliffe

United States · 1948–1986

Teacher & astronaut

Official NASA portrait of Eileen Collins

Eileen Collins

United States · 1956–

Astronaut & Air Force pilot

Official NASA portrait of Ellen Ochoa

Ellen Ochoa

United States · 1958–

Astronaut & engineer

Photograph of Rosalind Picard

Rosalind Picard

United States · 1962–

Computer scientist

Painted limestone bust of Nefertiti in the Neues Museum

Nefertiti

Egypt · c. 1370–c. 1330 BCE

Queen of Egypt

Ancient Greek vase painting depicting Sappho

Sappho

Greece · c. 630–c. 570 BCE

Poet

Portrait of Queen Liliuokalani

Liliuokalani

United States · 1838–1917

Queen of Hawaii

Photograph of Violeta Chamorro

Violeta Chamorro

Nicaragua · 1929–

President of Nicaragua

Official portrait of Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi

India · 1917–1984

Prime Minister of India

Photograph of Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Sri Lanka · 1916–2000

Prime Minister of Sri Lanka

Photograph of Wilma Mankiller

Wilma Mankiller

United States · 1945–2010

Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation

Photograph of Dolores Huerta

Dolores Huerta

United States · 1930–

Labor leader & activist

Photograph of Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm

United States · 1924–2005

Politician

Photograph of Frances Perkins

Frances Perkins

United States · 1880–1965

US Secretary of Labor

Statue commemorating Amina of Zazzau

Amina of Zazzau

Nigeria · traditionally c. 1533–1610

Ruler of Zazzau