Despite the famous saying that “Men rule the world,” no one can argue with the fact that there are many women who made a huge impact on our society throughout history. Women were oppressed for many years, but that didn’t stop them from making amazing achievements in almost every field possible.
Over the course of history, women fought for their rights to be educated, vote, and be equal with men. During these times, they showed their strength, courage, heart, and intelligence.
From the most strong fighters to the ones who shared peace and harmony in the world, here are the Top 10 most influential women in the world.
1. Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc, a fearless warrior who was considered a heroine of the Hundred Years’ War between France and England, was born in 1412 in a poor farmer’s house. She was deeply religious, and it’s known that she started hearing voices, allegedly from saints, that helped her make many victories in the war. She became recognized as a famous heroine and received as a leader and founder of the feminist movement. Joan came to represent more than just a simple-minded girl lost in history books; she symbolized individual and independent thinking.
2. Marie Curie
This Nobel Prize winner is one of the most appreciated people in the history of science and the world. Marie and her husband, Pierre, made great discoveries with their research on radioactivity. Therefore she becomes the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only woman to win it twice.
3. Rosa Parks
She was an African-American Civil Rights activist and was known as the “first lady of civil rights,” or “the mother of the freedom movement.” She dedicated her life to fighting against racial segregation and collaborated with civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King. Her fight started when she refused to give up her seat in the colored section in the bus to a white person after the white section was filled, for which she was arrested.
4. Emmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst is the most well-known name in the movement for the women’s right to vote in Britain. After attending her first women’s suffrage meeting at fourteen, Emmeline became inspired to get women the vote and greater social equality. Despite all the hard work, she didn’t live to see the results of her struggle. The equality in voting came in 1928, shortly after her death.
5. Katharine Hepburn
Hepburn was a Hollywood actress who refused to conform to society’s expectations of women. She was outspoken, athletic, assertive, and wore trousers before it was fashionable for woman to wear them. Hepburn lived independently almost all of her life and represented the “modern woman” in the 20th century. She won 4 academy awards for Best Actress; the most an actress has ever won.
6. Florence Nightingale
via www.history.com
A woman who saved many lives during the Crimean War. She was a nurse who helped revolutionize the service of nursing and the treatment of patients. In the beginning, the nurses were not allowed to treat the dying men; they were only instructed to clean the hospital. Eventually, the number of casualties became so overwhelming the doctors asked Florence and her team of nurses to help. By the time she returned home, she had become a national heroine and received many awards, including one from Queen Victoria.
7. Mother Theresa
via motherteresasociety.org
Born in Skopje, the Republic of Macedonia, in 1910, Gonxha Bojaxhiu, known as Mother Theresa, was an Albanian humanist, Nobel Peace Prize winner awards an individual can get. With the money from the award ($90,000.00 ) instead of using it for herself, she fed many people. Mother Theresa fought both hunger and poverty and wanted to make the world a peaceful place.
8. Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi was the prime minister of India’s Republic, and she paved the way for democracy in India until her assassination in 1984. She was the first female Prime Minister and was voted the greatest woman of the past thousand years in a BBC poll, ahead of another notable woman such as Marie Curie or Mother Theresa.
9. Oprah Winfrey
Who said that women could not be as successful as men are in the business field? Oprah Winfrey is a talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. She is currently only North America’s black billionaire. Born in poverty, raised by a single mother, raped at age 9, and a mother at age 14, she had her difficulties but managed to overpower all of this and become one of the most influential women in history.
10. Malala Yousafzai
via ww.talkradionews.com
A lot younger than the previous 9 women, Malala is a Pakistani school pupil who fights for women’s right to education. In retaliation for her high profile campaign for education and criticism of the Taliban, she was shot in the head at close range by a Taliban gunman. She survived the gunshot wound and has become a leading spokesperson for human rights, education, and women’s rights. She has received numerous peace awards and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.
What a wonderful group of women. So nice to revisit a short account of their accomplishments. A good reminder that as women we add much to everyday life, our family, our community, our countries, the world.
And where is Coco Chanel? After Winfrey? You are joking 😀