These Incredibly Inspiring Famous Women Have Changed the World
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We have women to thank for many of the biggest and best contributions to society—and these inspiring and influential female figures paved the way. Over the years, these trailblazers have worked tirelessly in their own ways to make the world a better place and shape the course of history, whether they were on the front lines of important protests, representing their country at the Olympics, or inspiring fellow women to speak their own minds. They have all brought their innovative beliefs and talents to life with dedication, passion, and plenty of hard work.
From influencing major Supreme Court decisions or making history at the Oscars to being the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean or becoming the world’s youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient, we’ve found women from many time periods, backgrounds, and professions to demonstrate the scope of incredible female accomplishments.
Read on to learn about how some of the greatest leaders, athletes, entertainers, philanthropists, activists, inventors, and other famous influential women have shattered glass ceilings and made women everywhere very, very proud.
Maya Angelou
From her powerful poetry to her moving autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou forever changed the literary world and opened doors for Black authors everywhere. Her love of books started as a child, when she struggled with selective mutism for five years. Decades later, in 2014, she died at age 86.
Lucille Ball
While she was an undeniable light onscreen in I Love Lucy, Ball was an extremely powerful figure off camera as well. She was the first woman to own a major studio, called Desilu Productions. She died at age 77 in 1989.
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II served as head of the royal family for 70 years, making her the longest-reigning monarch in British history. She celebrated her Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, just three months before she passed away at 96 years old.
Rosa Parks
Parks famously became a leader in the 1950s Civil Rights Movement when she refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white passenger. Her bravery sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and was a major factor in the end of legal segregation. She continued her activism well into her later years before dying at age 92 in 2005.
Related: A Timeline of Rosa Parks’ Life and Activism
Halle Berry
Aside from being a talented actor and fashion icon, Berry has left a special mark on Hollywood. In 2002, she became the first Black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar for Monster’s Ball. In 2023, she presented the same award to Michelle Yeoh—the second woman of color to ever win the award.
Amelia Earhart
As the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, Earhart forever changed the world of aviation. Her mysterious disappearance while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 has sparked a range of theories, from a potentially fatal crash to her spending her final days on a remote island.
Read More about Amelia Earhart
Michelle Kwan
Kwan dominated the ice throughout the ’90s, quickly becoming the most decorated figure skater in American history. She represented both the United States and Asian Americans on the world stage, winning 43 championships and two Olympic medals.
Malala Yousafzai
Yousafzai began fighting for girls’ rights to education in Pakistan at just 11 years old. After surviving an assassination attempt a few years later, she has courageously continued to be a worldwide voice for young women. In 2014, she became the world’s youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
Related: 10 Inspiring Malala Yousafzai Quotes
Rita Moreno
Moreno’s singing, dancing, and acting skills shined in classics like Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and West Side Story (1961), making her a true triple threat in Hollywood. In 1962, she became the first Latina woman to win an Oscar. Fifteen years later, she achieved EGOT status.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ginsburg made history as the first Jewish woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court. Her entire career was highlighted with pivotal moments in American history. Consistently standing up for gender equality and civil rights, she helped pass historic rulings on topics ranging from the Affordable Care Act to the legalization of same-sex marriage before her 2020 death at age 87.
Aretha Franklin
As one of the most angelic voices in history and an 18-time Grammy winner, Franklin popularized hits like “Respect” and “I Say a Little Prayer.” In 1987, she became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Franklin died at age 76 in 2018.
Read More about Aretha Franklin
Vera Wang
Wang, a first-generation Chinese-American fashion designer, has become one of the most beloved bridal designers of all time. Before launching her own brand, she worked at Vogue and Ralph Lauren. In 2005, the Council of Fashion Designers of America selected her as the Womenswear Designer of the Year.
Marie Curie
Curie was the scientific genius behind radioactivity and X-rays as we know them today. Not only did she become the first woman to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1903, but she also became the first person to ever win it twice in 1911. Curie was 66 when she died in 1934.
Elizabeth Taylor
The Old Hollywood star captivated moviegoers in hits like Cleopatra (1963) and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). The two-time Best Actress Oscar winner was also one of the first celebrities to speak openly about the AIDS crisis, creating the Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation in 1991. She died in 2011 at age 79.
Read More about Elizabeth Taylor
Serena Williams
Williams served as the face of tennis for years—alongside her sister Venus—and inspired young female athletes around the world. With 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals, she retired in September 2022 as one of the best players to ever step foot on a court.
Jane Austen
Austen changed the course of English literature with her social commentary in 1813’s Pride and Prejudice. Interestingly enough, she wasn’t revealed as the author of her first three novels until after her death in 1817 at age 41.
Sally Ride
In 1983, Ride became the first American woman to travel to space. Before that moment, she beat out 1,000 other applicants for a spot in NASA’s astronaut program. She died in 2012 when she was 61 years old.
Oprah Winfrey
From 1986 to 2011, Winfrey hosted her popular talk show, which turned her into an Emmy-winning media sensation. Aside from her successful magazine, TV network, and producing career, she is also an esteemed philanthropist and political activist.
Rachel Balkovec
Balkovec made history in 2022 when she was named the first woman to manage an affiliate of a Major League Baseball team. Before the New York Yankees hired her to lead its Low-A Tampa Tarpons, she worked as the team’s minor league hitting coach.
Princess Diana
The Princess of Wales’ bold independence, daring fashion, and close bond with her sons made her a beloved member of the royal family. She also spoke openly about mental health and HIV awareness and continued to support several charities after her 1992 separation from then-Prince Charles. Five years later, she died in a car crash at age 36.
Read More about Princess Diana
Dolly Parton
With 10 Grammy wins and 53 nominations, Parton has created a lasting legacy in country music, but the talented singer makes a big difference offstage as well. From promoting children’s literacy to donating $1 million to COVID-19 research, her philanthropy has helped countless people.
Katharine Hepburn
It’s no secret Hepburn’s on-camera work was nothing short of fantastic, but she was just as inspiring in her day-to-day life. She was one of the first actresses to embrace menswear and trousers. Her style choices inspired women of the time to not be afraid to wear looks that made them feel comfortable. She died at age 96 in 2003.
Read More about Katharine Hepburn
Lizzo
With songs about self-love and body positivity, Lizzo has become a beacon of light in the music industry. She’s also a classically trained flutist, often treating her fans to impressive solos on stage.
Chloé Zhao
Zhao, a Chinese filmmaker, has won several awards for her directorial work on indie movies, like Nomadland (2020). In 2021, she became the second woman—and first woman of color—to win Best Director at the Oscars.
Ibtihaj Muhammad
In 2016, fencing star Muhammad made history as the first Muslim woman wearing a hijab to represent the United States at the Olympics. That same year, she won a bronze medal and was included on TIME’s 100 Most Influential People list.
Read More about Ibtihaj Muhammad
Barbara Walters
Anchoring hit programs like 20/20, The View, and Today, Walters was known as one of the most well-respected figures in history. She defied the odds by becoming the first female co-anchor of a network evening news program, paving the way for women in journalism. The 93-year-old died this past December.
Read More about Barbara Walters
Sarah Thomas
Thomas became the first full-time female NFL official in 2015, and her milestones have inspired women throughout the sports industry. She also became the first female on-field official in playoff history in 2019, as well as the first to ever officiate in a Super Bowl two years later.
Anna May Wong
As Hollywood’s first Asian American movie star, Wong was a groundbreaking talent in every way. She bravely fought racism and discrimination and starred in over 50 films. In 1960, one year before her death at age 56, the actor became the first Asian American woman to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
The former first lady transformed the White House by restoring its original elegance and making an effort to procure art and furniture owned by past presidents. Onassis also had a deep knowledge of other cultures and spoke fluent French, Spanish, and Italian, which made it easier for her to bond with citizens and diplomats from other countries. She died at age 64 in 1994.
Read More about Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis
Barbra Streisand
Besides her beautiful voice and Grammy-winning career, Streisand paved the way for Jewish actresses in Hollywood. Her pivotal roles in Yentl (1983) and Funny Girl (1968) celebrated her culture in a new way—and in 1984, she became the first woman to ever win Best Director at the Golden Globes.
Read More about Barbra Streisand
Amanda Gorman
At just 22 years old, Gorman left the nation feeling united and emotional after reading her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021. Four years earlier, she was named the first National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States.
Mother Teresa
Considered one of the world’s greatest humanitarians, Mother Teresa dedicated her life to charity work. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and was posthumously canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2016—almost two decades after her death at age 87.
Junko Tabei
In 1975, Tabei became the first woman to summit Mount Everest. She was also the first woman to complete the Seven Summits— having climbed the tallest mountain on every continent—and even survived an avalanche. The explorer died in 2016 when she was 77.
Taylor Swift
Breaking almost every record imaginable—including the most-streamed album in a single day in Spotify history with 2022’s Midnights—Swift has transformed the music industry and earned 46 Grammy nominations and 12 wins in her career thus far. In 2019, following the controversy over her masters, she announced that she’d be re-recording her first six albums in an empowering effort to own her work.
Ruth Handler
When Handler—a co-founder of Mattel—invented the Barbie doll in 1959, she forever influenced childhoods around the world. Fun fact: She named the dolls after her own kids, Barbara and Ken.
Harriet Tubman
A true American hero, Tubman led slaves to safety via the Underground Railroad. From 1850 to 1860, she made 19 trips from the South to the North to free more than 300 people. Tubman died at age 93 in 1913.
Read More about Harriet Tubman
Mazie Hirono
Having served as the lieutenant governor of Hawaii between 1994 and 2002, Hirono not only became the first Asian American and Pacific Islander woman to ever be sworn into the Senate in 2013, but she’s also the first Buddhist senator.
Selena Gomez
From her lengthy list of acting credits to her Grammy-nominated music, Gomez has been a role model for young women for over a decade. She has also opened up about her personal struggles with mental health and lupus and has raised money for access to services and education for young people through her Rare Impact Fund.
Donyale Luna
Luna inspired the careers of Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, and several other beautiful Black supermodels who followed in her footsteps. In March 1966, she became the first woman of color to appear on the cover of British Vogue. At only 33 years old, Luna died in 1979.
Susan B. Anthony
Anthony, a co-founder of the National Woman Suffrage Association, fought hard for gender equality and women’s right to vote. She sadly never got to see her dream become a reality, as the 19th Amendment was passed 14 years after her death in 1906.
Michelle Obama
Obama was the first Black first lady of the United States during the presidency of her husband, Barack Obama, from 2009 to 2017. Her main initiatives were focused on healthy living and education. In 2018, she announced her first major project with the Obama Foundation, the Girls Opportunity Alliance, which aims to empower adolescent girls through education.
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